Our thoughts are very powerful in our lives. They can shape our emotions and play out into how we live our lives. Here are some common types of thinking errors that can lead you astray from the positive life you want to live:
-"All or Nothing" Thinking: Looking at things as black or white, and discounting the "grey" areas. Feeling like a failure if you can't do everything, instead of seeing the smaller accomplishments.
-Using the Word "Should": Focusing on what you didn't do and adding a layer of guilt.
-Catastrophizing: Creating a "mountain out of a molehill" and looking at things as a crisis or the end of the world when it is something small.
-Fortune telling: Focusing on the fact that if one experience was negative, then all experiences like that will be negative. Predicting the future to be negative.
-Using a Negative Mental Filter: Focusing only on the negative aspect of something.
Changing the way you think can have a profound effect on the way you feel. If you find yourself battling one (or more) of these thinking errors, try shifting the focus to the positive in the situation, looking at things from a different point of view, and asking yourself "does this thought make logical sense?" These techniques can help support a more positive way of thinking and change how you feel.
For more help in creating positive thoughts and emotions, contact Open Doors Counseling at 602-499-9952 or check out our website at www.opendoorscounselingaz.com.
