Cognitive errors that cause anxiety
And how to work through them. First we will look at what cognitive distortions are, then examine each error and a way to correct it.
Cognitive errors are distortions of thinking that get in the way of perceiving and evaluating reality objectively. They arise from the work of the limbic system, or "ancient brain", which formed first in evolution and assesses a situation automatically, without analysis or a rational approach. The brain needs this automatic assessment to save resources, so cognitive distortions exist in everyone - especially in moments of stress.
An example of the limbic system working well: you see a dangerous animal - run, no time to reason. But in the modern world it is more often necessary not to react automatically but to engage the mind - first to notice the thinking errors that lead to anxiety, and then to learn to remove them. Here the prefrontal cortex comes to the rescue: it formed later and is responsible for logic and control over primary impulses. It is precisely this that we "switch on" in therapy. If you constantly give in to the limbic system and don’t rationalise what is happening, it is easy to trap yourself in endless anxiety, neurosis and uncontrollable irritability.
1. Mind reading
We tend to assume what others mean, sometimes certain that we know their opinion exactly, though there is no basis for it. For example: "they think I’m stupid", "the doctor is about to tell me I have cancer".
Adaptive thought: we cannot read other people’s minds. Instead of assuming, it is better to clarify directly - or to learn to tolerate the uncertainty of not yet knowing the answer.
2. Negative fortune-telling
A tendency to predict negative events that will bring failure or danger: "I’ll never understand this", "I’ll never find a partner".
Adaptive thought: we are not clairvoyant and cannot know exactly what will happen. Life is varied and unpredictable.
3. Catastrophising
The belief that what is happening or coming is so unbearable and terrible that it will be impossible to survive. For example: "this spot on my skin is probably cancer", "if I stumble during my talk, the room will burst out laughing". Experience shows that the awful things we replay in our heads almost never happen.
Adaptive thought: and even if something bad does happen, we are able to live through it and cope. Life never promised us a quiet, serene flow - and when we learn to adapt, even difficult circumstances stop knocking the ground from under our feet.
4. Labelling
Assigning negative labels to ourselves and others: "I’m a failure", "he was late, so he’s unreliable".
Adaptive thought: there can be many reasons for being late - a car broke down, an accident on the road - and it does not at all mean the person is irresponsible.
5. Discounting the positive
Good deeds and achievements are written off as ordinary or accidental: "I aced the exam because I got lucky with the question".
6. Negative filter
Attention focuses mainly on the negative, while the positive and neutral are noticed less - out of the whole situation only the failure stays in focus.
7. Overgeneralisation
Sweeping negative conclusions based on isolated facts: "as always, nothing worked out for me" - while ignoring the times when something did work out.
8. Dichotomous thinking
Seeing people and events in "all or nothing", "black and white" terms: "whoever is not with us is against us", "if I made a mistake, I’m bad".
Adaptive thought: it is simply impossible to live a life without ever making a mistake - and that does not make a person bad.
9. Should-statements
Interpreting events from the standpoint of how, in the person’s view, everything "should" be: "I shouldn’t get tired", "everything in the world should be fair". This distortion is one of the most common causes of anxiety disorders: the more "shoulds", the more disappointment and resentment when the world fails to match one’s expectations of it.
Adaptive thought: the world and other people are not obliged to match our expectations. We can learn to handle this discomfort of meeting reality - including in therapy, where it becomes possible to find and change the beliefs that feed the "shoulds".
10. Personalisation
Taking excessive responsibility for negative events without accounting for the other people involved: "the team lost because of me".
11. Blaming others
Focusing on the idea that the source of negative emotions is another person, and refusing one’s own responsibility for change: "it’s his fault that I feel anxious". But we alone are responsible for our emotions - and to depend less on what happens around us, it is worth developing emotional intelligence skills.
YouTube video: emotional intelligence → The same video on VK →
12. Unfair comparison
Attention turns to those who have achieved more - against whom the person looks worse: "everyone on social media is happier than me" (ignoring that people show their best moments there, not the whole reality).
13. Regret orientation
Focusing on what could have been done better in the past instead of what can be improved now: "I should have known not to trust that person". But we are not clairvoyant and cannot know for certain whom to trust.
14. Emotional reasoning
Reality is interpreted primarily through feelings: "I feel the day will go badly - so it will".
Adaptive thought: our feelings do not always reflect objective reality - judging situations and people on feelings alone is not always accurate and can lead to conflict and misunderstanding.
I hope the article was useful! If you want to continue working with me, you can book a personal consultation or join the private Telegram channel "You’re perfectly okay", where every week I review cases live and give recommendations to members.