These distortions can multiply and cause complications, which may lead to feelings of increased anxiety, insecurity, self-doubt, low self-esteem and so on.

Cognitive distortions not only affect our ability to be rational and approach situations with a neutral perspective, but they also give rise to negative thinking patterns, including overthinking and overanalyzing.

These distortions can manifest as feelings of nervousness, restlessness, self-doubt, and an inability to make daily decisions. They may even lead to a tendency to play the victim, adopt a problem-focused approach, and result in emotional burnout, which can show in behaviors as aggression, hyperactivity, or other extreme behaviors.

Research conducted in 2017 suggested developing cognitive distortions can be a coping response to adverse life events and they can be influenced by culture and societal factors.

While cognitive distortions are commonly associated with psychological disorders, there are others who tend to function with cognitive biases or distortion as their dependent thinking style can be seen having impaired relationships without being diagnosed with any mental illness.

In this part we will focus on few cognitive distortions:

  • All-or-nothing thinking style: All or nothing thinking style refers to seeing things in black and white and being unable to change to mindset. It can lead to feelings of worthlessness when a minor setback occurs.

    Example- You decided to follow a routine for yourself at work. So far it has been going well, but one day due to some unforeseen circumstances, something went wrong. These triggers feelings of worthlessness.

  • Jumping to conclusions: Involves making assumptions about other thoughts and intentions without evidence, which leads to misunderstandings and unnecessary anxiety.

    Example- You have been feeling unwell and read up online about the symptoms, which matches with some severe illness. Instead of consulting a professional and getting it diagnosed methodically, the person has announced it for himself.

  • Personalisation: Taking responsibility for external events, especially negative ones and taking things too personally.

    Example- In a normal group conversation, you see that someone person didn’t smile or greet you, which leads to you perceiving this behavior as a sign of strong dislike towards yourself. This train of thought leads one to further believe and conclude that the person doesn’t want you to be a part of the activity.

  • Should or must language: Attributing your worth to perceived standards.

    Example- You feel that you should be able to earn X amount each month to prove that you are the man of the house, or that you feel like you must know the art of singing to be able to match with your family’s singing history. If you fail to do these things, you feel worthless.

  • Emotional Reasoning: Believing your feelings reflect reality, even when they might not.

    Example-You find yourself feeling negative or doubtful of someone’s intentions towards you, so you conclude that this person is toxic or malicious in his/her intent.

  • Mental Filter: Becoming focused on the negative aspects of a situation while ignoring the positives ones which leads to a skewed perception of reality.

    Example- You feel that you are ill-discipled with financial habits and feel that you as a person are not able to follow any good practices.

  • Overgeneralization: Making broad conclusions based on a single negative experience.

    Example- Because you got hurt the first time while playing football, you avoid playing football in the future as you conclude that you will feel hurt again.