Jessica Weeks
We know that our thoughts can be powerful and can significantly impact our actions and feelings (this is the whole premise of a therapy approach known as Cognitive Behavioural Therapy).
You may be familiar with Cognitive Behavioural Therapy, or CBT for short. In CBT, one of the concepts that I often talk about in sessions is thinking traps. Unhelpful thought patterns, known as thinking traps, are something we may all fall into from time to time, even if we are unaware of them. While there are multiple thinking traps (check out this PDF to see all of them), four common ones that I see in my practice are:
Jenny is 25 years old and experiences social anxiety; she often has worries about her relationships with others, including family, friends and partners. Jenny identifies as an over-thinker and ruminates about her interactions with others.
Jenny believes… If my friend does not invite me to hangout with them every time they invite people over, then we are not truly friends
Ways to challenge this:
If Jenny shows up to a party and thinks, “Becky didn’t say hi to me when I walked in; she is probably mad at me and doesn’t want to talk,” Jenny is mind-reading.
Ways to challenge this:
If Jenny is going to meet her partner's friends for the first time and thinks, “they are not going to like me, and then my partner is going to break up with me,” Jenny is fortune telling.
Ways to challenge this:
I forgot my friend's birthday; our friendship is over– is an example of Jenny catastrophizing
Ways to challenge this:
The first step in addressing thinking traps is to notice and label them as they occur. When addressing thinking traps, we need to have some self-compassion, these are patterns that we have engaged in for a long time, and it will take time and practice to form new thinking patterns. Labelling and acknowledging them will allow us to utilize strategies to alter our thoughts.
Pro tip: Print out the Unhelpful Thinking Patterns handout and keep it in a visible place for daily/weekly reminders.
If you want to dive deeper into overcoming your thinking traps, consider booking a session with a therapist at Shift!
No spam. Just tips and tricks to have a better week every other Monday.
No spam. Just tips and tricks to have a better week every Monday.