Your mind takes shortcuts. Most of the time they help you move quickly. But when you are stressed or low, the same shortcuts can produce conclusions that feel true and are not.
Common thinking traps
- Catastrophising: jumping to the worst possible outcome.
- Mind reading: assuming you know what others think of you.
- All-or-nothing: if it is not perfect, it is a failure.
- Personalising: assuming you caused something you did not control.
- Should statements: rigid rules about how you or others must behave.
Slowing the loop
You do not have to argue yourself into positive thinking. The aim is accurate thinking. Write the thought down, name the trap if there is one, and ask what a fair friend would point out. Often the thought shrinks once it is on paper.
The overthinking unpacker walks you through exactly this.