Are you dealing with persistent negative thoughts? Do you sometimes find yourself feeling overwhelmed and down about things that may or may not happen in the future?
If so, it’s time to pay attention to your cognitive distortions. Cognitive reframing is how many people learn to shift their thinking from automatic catastrophic beliefs toward healthier perspectives.
It’s a way of making peace with our negative mindset by changing the way we process information. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the common cognitive distortions that can affect our ability to think clearly and rationally, along with techniques for reframing them into more helpful ways of thinking. Whether you are struggling with anxiety, self-doubt, or relationship issues, cognitive reframing can help give you back control over your life!
What is Cognitive Reframing?
Cognitive reframing is a technique used to help individuals change their negative thought patterns into more realistic and positive ones. It involves recognizing and challenging irrational thoughts that contribute to feelings of negativity and replacing them with more rational and positive ones.
By altering your mindset, you can improve your overall well-being and reduce stress and anxiety. Cognitive reframing is an effective tool for combatting these harmful patterns and cultivating a more positive and healthy perspective.
There are many ways we can fall into negative thinking traps. Black-and-white thinking is a common cognitive distortion. We might assume we know what people think about us; psychologists call this distortion mind reading. We might catastrophize, assuming the worst-case scenarios will play out. We might use global labeling.
“Labeling or mislabeling refers to taking a single attribute and turning it into an absolute. This happens when you judge and then define yourself or others based on an isolated event. The labels assigned are usually negative and extreme.” – Sandra Silva Casabianca for PsychCentral
There are as many ways to think negatively as there are ways to think. However, there are ways around our negative thoughts through cognitive reframing. This is where we shift our thinking around our negative thoughts to change our feelings about them. It’s a form of metacognition: thinking about thinking. Below, we’ll talk about some useful techniques to help with this problem.
Socratic Questioning
Socrates once said that the only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing. He was a Greek philosopher in ancient Athens that was constantly asking questions. Through the use of the right questions, he showed that the so-called experts in the city weren’t experts at all. Socrates questioned the assumptions about morality and virtue that Greek leaders had never examined before.
Using Socratic questioning involves asking specific and probing questions that help to uncover deeper levels of understanding. When it comes to reframing negative thoughts, Socratic questioning can be a powerful tool. By asking questions that challenge negative beliefs or assumptions, we can learn to examine their thinking and uncover more positive and accurate ways of viewing themselves and their situation.
When you encounter a negative thought, start a dialogue with yourself about it. “Why do you think this? Is there a good reason? Is there another way to look at this? What happens if it isn’t true?” Ask yourself the evidence for the thought and against it, and consider the alternatives and consequences of the thought.
Once we identified and questioned our negative thoughts, it’s to challenge them. We can do this by asking ourselves questions about the accuracy of the thought. Is it based on facts or assumptions? Does the evidence support it? What would the consequences be if it were true? The more we examine our negative thoughts, the more we will see where they are distorted and inaccurate.
Socratic questioning is not just about finding answers. It’s about learning to ask better questions and becoming more comfortable with uncertainty and complexity. It helps us to approach the world with a curious and open mind, ready to learn and grow from every experience.
Visualization
Visualization is a powerful tool that can help us manifest positivity in our lives. By creating a clear and vivid mental image of our desires, we can bring them closer to reality. Visualization helps us refocus our energy and stay optimistic about the future.
Let’s say you’re worried that you’re not going to pass a test. Visualizing the positive outcome in your head is an effective coping strategy. It’s essentially daydreaming. Craft an image in your mind of the outcome you want. Use sensory details. The more real you can make it in your mind, the better. We displace negative thoughts by using our imaginations.
Visualization alone is not enough to bring about change. We must also take action and put in the necessary work to achieve our goals. But for getting control of our thinking, visualization is a key tool to help us ward off negativity. By combining visualization with hard work and determination, we can turn our dreams into reality and create a life of fulfillment.
Journaling
Journaling is a powerful tool that can help you constructively process your thoughts and emotions. In particular, we can keep what’s called a thought log. In this, we write down our negative thoughts when they occur. This helps you identify patterns in your thinking that can help you notice what your negative thoughts center around.
However, there’s another benefit to journaling. By putting your thoughts on the page, they’re just thoughts. It takes away their power. It’s easier to be dispassionate about thoughts when they’re not in your head. In your head, a thought takes up space. It fills the mind. On the page, we can look at it and dissect it. We can even apply the other techniques to it after we write it down.
By journaling, we prepare ourselves to reframe our negative thoughts in real time. It’s a great way to practice reframing negative thoughts, and lots of people have reported great success with journaling their thoughts in a thought log or record.
“The Thought Record has been very helpful for me to reframe automatic thoughts. The more you use it, the easier it is to fill out and catch your negative thoughts in the process. Once you practice, you can even start doing it in your head if you find yourself in the middle of an anxiety-provoking situation.” –Angela from Oh She Glows
By keeping a thought log through journaling, you can gain clarity on your thought patterns and identify triggers for negative thinking. This can then lead to more positive self-talk and a better understanding of your true feelings. While journaling may seem daunting at first, with practice it can become a valuable therapeutic outlet.
Decatrasophizing
Catrasphizing is a cognitive distortion that leads us to believe that the worst outcomes are guaranteed or likely, even when they aren’t. We can combat this by taking a step back and looking at how events will play out in the long term.
For example, let’s say you had a bad day at work. Instead of catastrophizing and assuming that your career is doomed, take a breath and ask yourself what the long-term outcome will be. Will this one bad day ruin your entire career? Probably not. It could even lead to growth and development opportunities if you use it as an opportunity to reflect on what went wrong and how to remedy it.
Decatastrophizing helps us move away from the black-and-white thinking that can so often accompany anxiety and depression. We can recognize our thoughts for what they are: fleeting worries rather than concrete facts about our future. By engaging in decatastrophizing, we can gain control over our thoughts and look towards a more positive future.
“One way to decatastrophize your thoughts is to put your thoughts on trial by challenging them with evidence. Take what you are worrying about and think about how likely it is that your ‘worst’ worry will come true based off of past experience or other evidence. If your ‘worst’ worry does come true, what are the chances that you will be okay in a week, in a month, or even a year.” –The Center for Growth
Both of these ways work by allowing us to take a longer view of things, either by taking in more information about the situation or looking at it from the future. Either way, we complicate our negative thoughts and take away some of their power.
Once we’ve identified and questioned our negative thoughts, it’s time to challenge them. We can do this by asking ourselves questions about the accuracy of the thought. Is it based on facts or assumptions? Does the evidence support it? What would the consequences be if it were true? The more we examine our negative thoughts, the more we will see where they are distorted and inaccurate.
Decatrasophizing allows us to realize that negative thoughts are not necessarily rooted in reality, but rather in our fears and insecurities. Armed with this knowledge, we can begin to challenge these negative thoughts and replace them with more positive and empowering ones. While it may be a difficult process, the rewards are well worth the effort.
Humor
Despite its lighthearted nature, humor plays a crucial role in our lives. It allows us to break down barriers, connect with others, and find joy in difficult situations. It’s useful for disrupting our negative thinking, too. By making light of a negative thought, we can take away its power. Sharing laughter with others, too, helps us escape from the dark places in our minds and shake out negative thoughts.
“Humor seems to have the potential to effectuate pain relief, strengthen immune function, improve positive emotions, moderate stress, dissociate from distress and improve interpersonal processes.” –Marc Gelkopf
Humor is good for us, particularly in the context of reframing negative thoughts, because it interrupts our negative thought cycles. Negative thoughts beget other negative thoughts, and we can quickly spiral if we aren’t prepared. By breaking through that with humor, we can help ourselves regain control over our thoughts.
Cognitive reframing is an important skill to practice to confront negative thoughts and gain greater emotional control. Instead of letting our emotions take over when faced with challenges, cognitive reframing can empower us to create space for a more intentional and productive thought process. This helps us step back from our impulsive reactions and view things from a place of understanding and clarity. It can also be useful to utilize the techniques listed in this blog post, such as Socratic questioning, visualization, journaling, decatrasophizing, and humor to challenge exaggerated thinking patterns and create an alternative perspective. With some practice, your frame of mind will become stronger, allowing you to walk through life’s difficulties with greater resilience.
For more about reframing negative thoughts and cognitive distortions, check out Wesley’s interview with Kate Nguyen.
Reframing is a way of making peace with our negative mindset by changing the way we process information. In this blog post, we will discuss some of the common cognitive distortions that can affect our ability to think clearly and rationally, along with techniques for reframing them into more helpful ways of thinking. Whether you are struggling with anxiety, self-doubt, or relationship issues, cognitive reframing can help give you back control over your life!