How to Change How You Think 💪 Cognitive Distortions Part 2

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This episode is part two of our discussion on cognitive distortions. If you haven’t already, go back and watch part one, where I cover the 10 common cognitive distortions.
Learning to recognize the 10 common cognitive distortions is the first step to change how you think. In this episode, you’re going to learn how to challenge and replace those distorted thoughts. Change how you think so you can change how you feel.

Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC, and the information provided by Emma McAdam are solely intended for informational and entertainment purposes and are not a substitute for advice, diagnosis, or treatment regarding medical or mental health conditions. Although Emma McAdam is a licensed marriage and family therapist, the views expressed on this site or any related content should not be taken for medical or psychiatric advice. Always consult your physician before making any decisions related to your physical or mental health.

In therapy I use a combination of Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, Systems Theory, positive psychology, and a bio-psycho-social approach to treating mental illness and other challenges we all face in life. The ideas from my videos are frequently adapted from multiple sources. Many of them come from Acceptance and Commitment Therapy, especially the work of Steven Hayes, Jason Luoma, and Russ Harris. The sections on stress and the mind-body connection derive from the work of Stephen Porges (the Polyvagal theory), Peter Levine (Somatic Experiencing) Francine Shapiro (EMDR), and Bessel Van Der Kolk. I also rely heavily on the work of the Arbinger institute for my overall understanding of our ability to choose our life's direction.

Copyright Therapy in a Nutshell, LLC
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[y.m.]

your videos are improving the lives and wellbeing of hundreds of thousands of people. it cannot be overstated how important of a person you are, and how needed your insight and knowledge is. thank you from all of us.

[bandaralsaif]

Negative thinking is just an overprotective mode that needs to be switched off. It will make you stay in your comfort zone.

[danielsolorzano]

Summary of the process:

1. Notice and Name
Notice how you thinking
Write your thoughts, ask a friend for help, do it with your therapist help
2. Check for distortios
Notice your distorted thinking patterns
Look for your "always, never, should, shouldn't" and your assumptions
3. Explore the benefits of this thoughts
¿Why this is confortable in the short term?

4. Challenge the thought
4.1. ¿What a rational friend/family member whould say if you tell them this thouhgts?
4.2. ¿What you'd tell them to help if they had this thought? ¿What other perspectives are there?
4.3. Reframing
4.4. Look for exceptions ¿Is your thinking wrong or posibly false?
4.5. Try to see both sides
4.6. Watch for extreme wording, avoid the "never, always" and use precise words instead
4.7. Try thinking the opposite
4.8. How your life would be different if you stop beliving that thought
5. Choose
Choose the better option for you

You can do it, good luck!

[johnokeeffe]

This is easily one of the most impactful YouTube channels I've ever found. I adore how she explains things and the compassion with which she does so.

[NorahsYarnArt]

I actually liked myself better when I realised that my brain is trying to help- in twisted ways but that's what is available because I'm not doing anything. Thank you my brain but I'll take over from here. Thank you Emma for sharing this 🌹

[BachTran-mdnw]

Hi, i'm a girl adolescens . I'm was born and raised in a developing contries in Asia where no one know about eating disorder or despression. In my community there are liite concern overthe eating disorder and mental health. Even the doctor here don't know about eating disorder as well as my family. Well, I'm struggle with alone by myself, and I see that this video is significantly helpful . Thanks for great content and knowledge

[sacdaabdurhman]

“We need to accept that we won’t always make the right decisions, that we’ll screw up royally sometimes – understanding that failure is not the opposite of success, it’s part of success.”some of us we see failing as failure. Have a delightful day sharing some positivity to your side

[YathieshHS]

I have seen so many channels on mental health, this is the best one ever - so much of science, knowledge, wisdom summarised

[NandyzSoulshine]

We say things to ourselves that we would never say to anyone else. Self-compassion is very tricky to balance... and we are either overdoing it... ... or, way underdoing it... I-always-mess-things-up. But if we can hit the right spot, it brings confidence and the right attitude towards life.

[TherapyToThePoint]

Totally! I find that recognizing our distortions is the first step, then it's important to learn to reframe our thinking and/or replace our thoughts with more useful/realistic thoughts.

[michaelkeys]

I've recently been struggling with anxiety, when it reaches its peak it can be genuinely terrifying. Especially if you can't make sense of what's happening or how to pull yourself out of it. Your videos have been life changing, I've needed them a lot this past few months. Thank you for doing this, I would be in a very different place without them!

[robertmiller]

I'm 47 and my whole life my distorted thinking has been to analyze everything people say and anything I precieved that could be a potential future conflict, catrastropise, play out all the potential arguments and mentality prepare myself for the worst of what I thought would come.  99.9999% of the time those interactions never happened.   I realized just today 2023-10-01 that I do that because growing up my mom, a stay at home partner with low self esteem, and her partner, an uneducated  promiscuous alcoholic, would have screaming arguments all night when he would come home from being out drinking.  Looking back i see my 45ish years of distorted thinking has been to come up with ways,   arguments, ideas, to stop their fighting, to "silence the lambs so to speak", from the age of two until 18 when I left for the Navy.  You have helped me come to this realization, now I can close the door on those arguments from my childhood, and let this exhaustive paranoid happiness draining depression inducing way of thinking go.   Tysm

[DmoneySVP]

Negative thinking gives me a short-term relief. Almost an agreeable side thought that gives a brief sense of comfort

[rwe]

I’m at a point in my life where it’s very easy to devalue my hopeful thoughts, but incredibly difficult to not put value on my negative responses. This channel is helping me to find a balance

[beckybryant]

I want to go write everything down about this. You don't know how much your video suggestions are helping. I have this huge tiger to fight- cancer, and trying to manage my anxiety is very difficult. Not only do your videos offer techniques to decrease your anxiety, but your voice also is also so calming that sometimes I just listen because it decreases the anxiety; Do you have a book out? BTW I loved that spot where your hair was curly, I loved it!!

[JohnFishWright]

Filtering leaves me in a position of victimhood that decreases my ability to do what is in my control. It also helps me make sense of something that happened that is scary to me. It helps me justify that the world is a scary place that requires I be constantly on my guard. This includes not letting go of something that happened 25 years ago.

[sarwatbhatti]

What really helps me about your videos is narrating real life examples of individuals. Keep it up x

[iilgmelo]

For me I notice myself using Black and White thinking, Mind reading, and Personalization when it comes to cognitive distortion thinking. For black and white thinking this helps me avoid doing work or putting effort into doing anything too "hard". For mind reading there could be many reasons but mainly I think it'll help me feel more in control or to make sure I don't bother anyone as I wouldn't anyone to bother me. And for the last one, Personalization I feel like this is something I've gained in my childhood but I think the benefit for me is that I can feel in control because now I can do something to say sorry to the person I've "hurt". Also having that to use if I ever need their help, like I would want them to do the same thing I did for them. That's all the what I think is my benefit when it comes to the type of cognitive distortions I use.

[JohannaVeerenhuis]

I had to think really, really hard about this. I’m a master catastrophyser… especially when I’m in a car, when someone else is driving, I also have a driving anxiety myself, among other anxieties. I had a nasty car accident when I was a teenager and my mother fell out behind the wheel. Later when I had my drivers license, I crashed when my car’s break was flat on the floor and the car rolled over. Now I think I catastropise when I’m a passenger, to be alert enough to be able to take action if needed. Just like with my mom, when I grabbed the wheel and saved us from being overrun by a truck. It’s difficult for me to replace it for a positive thought, because I learned that people as well as vehicles can fall out in traffic. But I’m working on it and it is helpful. Thank you so much!! 💞

[allison]

This video has like all the answers lol! Questioning the secondary gain of my common distortions is the answer! Just understanding WHY I'm doing this, and what about it is so addictive is helping me adjust my thinking. My most common is catastrophrizing. Why i do it is partly because I'm always thinking of creative imaginative things, being an artist. Maybe reality is pretty mundane and isn't always taking a turn for the worse. Secondly, it helps me feel more prepared to avoid hurt feelings or possible overwhelm of being caught off guard.