To Believe or Not Believe
Have you ever found yourself in the middle of a good mood and day when all of the sudden, this *random* thought pops up and your good mood is replaced by anxiety, sadness, anger or [insert emotion here]? The thought may have been prompted by something innocent and not in any way meaning to bring up anything negative. Others may wonder why you even reacted that way at all. Perspective is reality. This concept is well-known and versed among most mental health therapists favoring the Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) model. It points to the idea that every human experience is interpreted through mental filters and, many times, those filters are negative. These filters are called cognitive distortions and a few popular ones are catastrophizing, fortune-telling, all-or-nothing thinking, overgeneralization, minimization, and discounting the positives. Our thoughts are incredibly powerful - having the ability to change our mood and behaviors – especially when the pe...
