What if the way you think is actually making you feel worse? Imagine putting on a pair of glasses that distort everything you see, turning ordinary situations into overwhelming, anxiety-inducing challenges. This is what cognitive distortions do. They skew your view of the world, making you feel trapped in a cycle of negativity. They make it harder to see reality for what it truly is, leaving you stuck in a cloud of exaggerated fears and self-doubt.

This powerful photograph visually captures the essence of distorted thinking, where the colours and angles twist perception, just as cognitive distortions twist our thoughts. One such distortion is all-or-nothing thinking, where situations are viewed in black-and-white terms. This type of thinking involves seeing situations in extremes, with no middle ground. A small mistake becomes a complete failure, or a person is either “perfect” or “worthless.” It doesn’t allow for nuance or complexity, ignoring any shades of grey in between. When you’re trapped in all-or-nothing thinking, it’s easy to feel like everything is falling apart over something minor.

Next, we see the distortion of magnification. This is when you blow a small issue way out of proportion, imaging that one little mistake will lead to catastrophic consequences. For example, if you miss a deadline, you might think, “This will ruin everything. I’m doomed.” The image amplifies the emotion tied to this exaggeration, making small bumps in the road feel like massive obstacles.

And finally, the subject of the photo represents personalization, a distortion where you take responsibility for things outside of your control. You might believe that if someone is upset, it must be because of something you did, even when it has nothing to do with you. It’s that gut-wrenching feeling of guilt, thinking you somehow caused a problem that was never yours to begin with. This kind of thinking can lead to unnecessary self-blame, and anxiety, trapping you in a cycle of guilt that is often unearned.

Cognitive distortions are like mental traps, making you see the world in ways that don’t reflect reality. But once you learn to recognize them, you can start to break free and see things as they truly are—more balanced, more manageable, and far less overwhelming.

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Image Credits: Photo by Kaleb Nimz on Unsplash