Don’t believe everything you think

Don’t believe everything you think

Do you believe everything you think?

Probably not at a guess. 

But have you ever had a fleeting thought that sticks with you? Or an intrusive thought take came at you so far left of field it takes the wind out of your sails and makes you believe that maybe, just maybe, you might be going mad?

You are definitely not alone in that. 

 

Did you know that every single day, on average, a person has between 60,000 and 80,000 thoughts?

That is a LOT of things to process and so, unsurprisingly, quite often, we find it difficult to monitor and regulate them. 

 

There are a number of different reasons why this may be the case:

Cognitive Biases, Cognitive Distortions & Negative Automatic Thoughts

Research also shows us that our brains have a negative bias, in that we have a tendency to pay more attention to, remember, and be influenced by negative information or experiences rather than positive ones.

Our in-built negative bias can lead to a disproportionate amount of negative automatic thoughts (NATs) rearing their ugly head in the daily onslaught of thoughts.

Negative automatic thoughts can in turn affect our mood, behaviours and overall wellbeing.

Our negative bias has evolved from the survival instinct our ancestors would have had - that added layer of vigilance to dangers that lurked all around. While we do not have the same level of danger around us nowadays, the evolution of our brains has that same level of survival instinct ingrained within.

Of course, negative automatic thoughts are not the only form of cognitive distortion we may experience. 

Cognitive distortions are defined as “irrational or biased patterns of thinking that can lead to negative emotions and behaviours”.

Cognitive distortions can lead to people interpreting a real life situation inaccurately, can act to reinforce self-limiting, self-defeating and negative personal beliefs or may act as a catalyst to believe something about another person, place or thing in a distorted or twisted sense of reality.

A couple of examples of cognitive distortions are all-or-nothing thinking, catastrophising and fortune telling - I discussed unhelpful thinking patterns such as these with CBT Psychotherapist, Emily Murphy on Season 2 Episode 4 of The Mind your Mind Podcast.

Subjectivity

Our thoughts are completely and utterly subjective. They are influenced by our past experiences, our belief system and our emotions.

For example, we mgift be steadfast in our belief that something is the absolute truth due to our upbringing and the beliefs that our parents held. However, in reality, our belief may be misplaced, outdated or based on distorted or 

So in terms of subjectivity, it’s important to remember that what we perceive to be true may not reflect the objective reality. 

The impact of emotions

Emotions may also distort our thoughts. They may cause us to interpret things in ways that line up with our emotions rather than the actual reality of the situation. 

I have personal experience of this one. When my anxiety and panic disorder was running the show mentally, I felt anxious ALL the time.

Everything that was occurring around me seemed threatening, even though it was harmless. Everything seemed terrifying, the worry of where the next panic attack would come from, the thoughts that everything was coming falling down around me. 

But I know now that those thoughts were not factual. It was my emotions clouding my better judgement. 

And, that’s the point of this blog - it’s to highlight that thoughts are not always factual. 

And you shouldn’t always believe everything you think.

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