Remembering to do Cognitive Restructuring is a challenge because it’s not something we can just practice whenever we have a spare moment; instead, it’s best practiced immediately following an incident that leads to us becoming upset. But before we end this guide, it’s important to acknowledge that getting in the habit of actually doing Cognitive Restructuring is not easy. So set your expectations accordingly. If your automatic thought had been, “What a jerk! On the other hand, if your automatic thought was “Oh my God, he almost hit me! And these habitual inaccuracies or distortions in the way we think tend to create distortions in how we feel—usually in the form of excessively strong negative emotions. When it comes to Cognitive Restructuring, it’s important to build the habit of becoming more aware of our automatic thoughts and really examining them closely. Often magnification takes the form of catastrophizing small negative events and turning them into disasters in our minds. Delivered to your inbox! The good news is that with dedicated practice, you can replace negative thinking patterns with thoughts that actually help. When we can inhibit our instinctive response to negative feelings and approach it with an attitude of curiosity, our chances of managing the situation intelligently go way up. So glad it was helpful! Now, imagine two different ways of thinking about this: In the first response, there are two cognitive distortions: In both cases, how we talked to ourselves was likely unrealistically negative. The overarching goal of Cognitive Restructuring is not to think more positively; it’s to think more realistically. And yet, I think it’s surprising how often we try new things expecting to get immediate results. I reassured her that that was a completely normal response—literally everybody worries that they’re not doing it right the first few times! 2. He almost hit me? Here are the most common obstacles to Cognitive Restructuring that I’ve encountered in my work with clients, along with some thoughts for managing them effectively. The problem is that such an approach isn’t sustainable and those who do go this route end up burning out quickly. Positive thinking will let you do everything better than negative thinking will. Also, in addition to simply generating more alternative interpretations or explanations of what happened, it can be useful to notice any obvious errors in your initial thoughts and develop alternative thoughts that are more realistic. The following example came from my own work with one of my former clients. It shows up most commonly when we evaluate our own personal qualities and characteristics this way. Whether it’s an argument with our spouse, worry about an upcoming interview, or grieving over a newly deceased family member, we tend to get stuck in automatic and rigid ways of thinking. Also known as cognitive distortions , these negative thinking processes may contribute to panic and anxiety symptoms. Next, we reviewed her plan for using a Thought Record. I totally screwed up that presentation last week and that’s what did it.”, “Hmmm… That sounds ominous, but I guess it could be about anything.”. Once you’ve identified a trigger, noticed your Automatic Thoughts about that trigger, and taken note of your emotional reaction, the next step is to come up with alternative thoughts for each of your initial, Automatic Thoughts. Explore 1000 Thinking Quotes by authors including Albert Einstein, Zig Ziglar, and Lao Tzu at BrainyQuote. Eventually, once you’ve had enough practice, you’ll be able to walk through the entire six steps in your head. For Julie, the worst part was the hour or so before she had to interact with her mother-in-law. This is really thorough and helpful, especially to someone who doesn’t have easy access to a mental health professional. 94 synonyms of negative from the Merriam-Webster Thesaurus, plus 241 related words, definitions, and antonyms. Of course, we all play a little fast and loose with our self-talk sometimes. It is the most important skill to learn and adapt and adept. Even though we may know on some level that our worries are irrational and leading to unnecessarily high levels of anxiety, the fact that worry is a habit makes it difficult to break out of and set down. EXAMPLE: “If only I felt more motivated then I could get ahead of my studying and enjoy vacation guilt-free.”. (Entry 2 of 3), Synonyms & Antonyms of negative For example, sticking with the car example from above, instead of “Oh my God, he almost hit me! I don’t work with substance abuse much but I’m intrigued as to how this may be helpful. While spending too little time practice Cognitive Restructuring will obviously limit its usefulness, spending too much time on it can also be a problem. She preferred the pen and paper version, and I suggested she make a bunch of copies and keep them in her house and car so that she’d always have some available and close by. Wherever You Go, There You Are: How to Be Present for Your Own Life, Happy Together: 3 Principles for a Stronger Romantic Relationship, Understanding Anxiety: The Complete Beginner’s Guide, The Psychology of Forgiveness: 7 Lessons on How to Finally Let Go and Forgive Someone, Emotional Vulnerability: What It Is and Why It Matters, How to Do Cognitive Restructuring (Step-by-Step Plan), How to Use a Thought Record to Help with Cognitive Restructuring, Common Obstacles to Cognitive Restructuring, Case Study: How Julie used Cognitive Restructuring to lower her worry and anxiety, we can change the way we feel by changing the way we think, the secret that most productive people know, be more optimistic in your general outlook on life, sense of self can become frail and brittle, observing negative thoughts without engaging with them, “Oh great, she’s gonna fire me, I know it. 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