Understand the 3 common thinking traps and learn how to manage these.
Catastrophising or jumping to conclusions
What we mean:
Blowing something out of proportion, imagining the worst will happen or jumping to negative conclusion without sufficient information to justify it.
How to manage it:
- Recognise these instances as irrational thoughts
- Challenge the validity by asking yourself:
“How likely is it that the outcome I am imagining will actually happen in reality?
Emotional reasoning
What we mean:
Using your emotions as ‘evidence’ for the truth. Regardless of the physical evidence, you believe whatever you’re feeling at the time to be true.
How to manage it:
- Ask yourself – would this thought stand up if I were to bring it to court?
- It’s important to understand that thoughts are not facts.
- Try to remember this when you’re grappling with emotional reasoning.
Labelling
What we mean:
Attaching a negative label to yourself when you make a mistake, rather than acknowledging it as an isolated event.
How to manage it:
- Check in with someone else – a family member, friend or colleague – for perspective.
- Know that one incident or mistake does not tarnish you forever.
- Having someone else to speak to can help to neutralise this negative label.
Word prisons
What we mean:
Thinking that you ‘should’ or ‘shouldn’t’ behave in a certain way and feeling annoyed, angry or disappointed with ourselves when you fall short.
How to manage it:
- Instead of using the word ‘should’ use the word ‘could’ or ‘I want to’.
- Write down the most common phrases you say using the word ‘should’, cross them out and rewrite them using the word ‘could’.
- Notice how this removes the pressure and changes the intention of the sentence.
Negative filters
What we mean:
Focussing on only the negative aspects of a situation or event and ignoring all the positives. As a result, everything in your own mind feels negative.
How to manage it:
- Write down your negative thought
- Next to it, write down the evidence you have to support the thought
- Take a step back and reflect on the evidence – it’s likely the evidence you’ve collected does not meet the reality.
Self-refer
If you are suffering from anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder, low mood or excessive worry, NHS Talking Therapies can provide you with advice, guidance and support.