Did you know that certain thinking styles can be unhelpful? Believe it or not, some thoughts that go through our minds daily can hold us back from achieving our goals. This blog post will look at some of the most common unhelpful thinking styles and how to overcome them. So if you want to start living your best life, stay tuned! We’ve got some valuable information for you.
The process of helping individuals overcome their biases and think in a ‘balanced’ way—which is more conducive to goal attainment—is what cognitive behavioural coaches focus on. We work with clients to examine their thinking styles and challenge the ‘unhelpful’ ones that might be holding them back.
Types Of Unhelpful Thinking Styles
All-or-Nothing Thinking
You see things in black and white, without any shades of grey. You’re either a success or a failure—never anything in between.
Overgeneralization
You take one adverse event and assume it will continue happening again and again. For example, you have a bad day at work and think, “I’m never going to get ahead in my career.”
Mind Reading
You assume that you know what other people think, often without evidence supporting your claim. For example, you might think, “She’s judging me because I’m not as successful as she is.”
Catastrophizing
You believe the worst possible outcome will happen, despite no evidence supporting this claim. For example, you might think, “If I don’t get this job, I’ll never be able to support myself.”
Personalization
You take responsibility for things that are out of your control. For example, you might think, “It’s my fault that my team lost the game.”
Mental filter
You focus on the negative aspects of a situation and filter out the positive. For example, you might think, “I did poorly on my test, so I’m never going to get into college.”
Emotional reasoning
You assume that it must be true because you feel a certain way. For example, you might think, “I feel like a failure, so I must be a failure.”
Should statements
You have rigid rules about how you and other people should behave. For example, you might think, “I shouldn’t make any mistakes.”
Labelling and mislabeling
You label yourself or others based on your interpretation of their behaviour. For example, you might think, “I’m a loser because I didn’t get the job.”
Discounting the positive
Your discount or dismiss your accomplishments or positive qualities. For example, you might think, “That doesn’t count because it was easy.”
How to Overcome Unhelpful Thinking Styles
If you think in any of the ways listed above, don’t worry—you can change your thinking patterns! The first step is to become aware of your thoughts and how they might hold you back. Once you’ve identified your unhelpful thinking styles, you can start to challenge them.
Here are some tips for challenging your unhelpful thinking:
1. Be aware of your thoughts. Pay attention to the thoughts that go through your mind daily.
2. Identify your unhelpful thinking styles. Which of the thinking styles listed above do you tend to engage in?
3. Challenge your thoughts. Once you’ve identified your unhelpful thinking, start to question it. Why do you believe this thought? Is there evidence to support it?
4. Reframe your thoughts. After you’ve challenged your unhelpful thinking, try to create a more balanced way of thinking. For example, try to see the shades of gray if you’re engaging in all-or-nothing thinking. If you’re catastrophizing, think of a more realistic worst-case scenario.
By becoming aware of your thoughts and how they might be holding you back, you can start to make changes to help you achieve your goals. Consider working with a cognitive behavioural coach if you’re looking for more help in overcoming your unhelpful thinking styles. We can help you examine your thoughts and develop more balanced, helpful ways of thinking.
Apply some problem-solving skills
Call it for what it is
If you find yourself getting caught up in these thinking patterns, try to name their pattern. It might be one in the list above, or you may discover some unhelpful patterns (for which you can come up with your name). Just recognizing that you’re caught in a pattern can be helpful.
Try to get some distance from your thoughts.
This can be tricky, but it’s worth a try. Once you’ve identified that you have an unhelpful thought, see if you can take a step back from it.
Breathe deeply and try to relax
This can be helpful at the moment, and it will also help you to be more aware of your thoughts overall.
Think of a more helpful thought
Once you’ve taken a step back from your unhelpful thought, see if you can come up with a more helpful way of thinking. For example, try to think of a more realistic worst-case scenario if you’re catastrophizing.
Step away from the thoughts
It can be helpful to take a break from your thoughts altogether. This might mean taking a few minutes to yourself to breathe deeply and relax, or it might mean doing something that you enjoy outside of your routine. Taking a break can give you some distance from your thoughts and return to them with fresh eyes.
Final Thoughts
If you think in any of the ways listed above, don’t worry—you can change your thinking patterns! The first step is to become aware of your thoughts and how they might hold you back. Once you’ve identified your unhelpful thinking styles, you can start to challenge them.