What are the 4 categories of negative thinking?

The tricky thing about negative self-talk is that it can come in many forms. According to Mayo Clinic, there are four main ones to be exact: personalizing, filtering, catastrophizing, and polarizing.

What is disqualifying the positive?

This is an extreme form of all-or-nothing thinking in which we filter out all the positive evidence about our performance, and only attend to the negative. It is all-or-nothing thinking, without the “all”!

What is catastrophizing cognitive distortion?

Catastrophizing is a way of thinking called a ‘cognitive distortion. ‘ A person who catastrophizes usually sees an unfavorable outcome to an event and then decides that if this outcome does happen, the results will be a disaster.

What is catastrophizing a symptom of?

Catastrophizing is associated with depression as well as anxiety disorders such as generalized anxiety disorder (GAD), PTSD, and OCD. A 2015 study looked at 2,802 teenagers and found that those who tended to catastrophize were more likely to have anxiety disorders.

What are the thinking errors?

Thinking errors are faulty patterns of thinking that are self-defeating. They occur when the things you are thinking do not match up with reality. This is sometimes also referred to as cognitive distortions.

Why do I have all or nothing thinking?

All or nothing thinking is a common cognitive distortion that often happens with people who have issues related to anxiety. This might include depression or panic disorders, for example. However, others could fall into this type of negative thinking pattern, as well.

What is a mental filter?

Mental filter is a term used to describe one type of cognitive distortion, or faulty thought pattern, that can often lead to higher levels of anxiety and depression. When thinking through a mental filter, a person is focusing only on the negative aspects of a situation and filtering out all of the positive ones.

What are examples of catastrophizing?

Here are some examples of catastrophizing:

  • “If I fail this test, I will never pass school, and I will be a total failure in life.”
  • “If I don’t recover quickly from this procedure, I will never get better, and I will be disabled my entire life.”

How do you counteract catastrophizing?

5 Ways to Stop Catastrophizing

  1. Don’t exaggerate. Stay specific.
  2. Sleep. Yes, sleep.
  3. Understand that thoughts do not define you.
  4. Don’t conflate the present (or the past) with the future.
  5. Get physical.

How to decatastrophize your thoughts in cognitive restructuring?

By learning to question your own thoughts using a CBT technique called cognitive restructuring, you can correct many of these distortions. The Cognitive Restructuring: Decatastrophizing CBT worksheet includes prompts that will help your clients bring their thoughts into focus, and examine them for irrational thinking.

Which is the best example of catastrophic thinking?

These are: Ambiguity or being vague can open a person up to catastrophic thinking. An example would be getting a text message from a friend or partner that reads, “We need to talk.” This vague message could be something positive or negative, but a person cannot know which of these it is with just the information they have.

When do you need to address catastrophic thinking?

However, if a person constantly fears the worst or hears from their friends and family that they are thinking in this way, they may need to address their catastrophic thinking. If a person has an underlying medical condition, such as depression, a doctor may prescribe antidepressant medications to help.

Which is the most common error in thinking?

Here are a few common errors. 1. All-or-nothing thinking (also called black-and-white, polarized, or dichotomous thinking): You view a situation in only two categories instead of on a continuum. Example: “If I’m not a total success, I’m a failure.”