WHAT ARE MENTAL MISTAKES?
Mental mistakes are the negative things you tell yourself about an uncomfortable situation that hinders you from moving past the issue. They are also commonly known referred to as the Automatic Thoughts.
These thoughts can occur so frequently and so suddenly that often times we don’t recognize that we’re making these mental mistakes.
They are broken down into 13 different categories.
THE AUTOMATIC THOUGHTS
The automatic thoughts listed below can be found in Glenn R. Schiraldi’s book The Self-Esteem Workbook.
- Assuming
- Shoulds (Musts/Oughts)
- The Fairy-Tale Fantasy
- All or Nothing Thinking
- Overgeneralizing
- Labeling
- Dwelling on the Negative
- Rejecting the Positive
- Unfavorable Comparisons
- Catastrophizing
- Personalizing
- Blaming
- Making Feelings Facts
I have included a page where you can find the list of the Automatic Thoughts and how they are defined so that you can easily go back and refer to them. Find them here.
THE DAILY THOUGHT RECORD
After being able to recognize the Automatic Thoughts I was having, I was instructed by my therapist to use The Daily Thought Record which is also included in The Self-Esteem Workbook.
1. I had to describe the thoughts I was having and rate them on a scale of 1-10 on how believable they were.
2. I had to identify what Automatic Thoughts I was using.
3. I had to change my initial thoughts into rational ones and rate those from 1-10 on how believable they were.
I was advised to complete the thought record on a daily basis for two weeks until I felt confident in my understanding of the mental mistakes I was making. Once I was able to do so it became easier to stop myself from going down the rabbit hole of negative thinking. Even after I stopped using the Daily Thought Record I made flash cards of all the Automatic Thoughts and kept them with me for when I found myself in a distressing situation.
When you can understand the mental mistakes you’re making you can begin to see a situation for what it really is. More often than not, the situation is less scary or intimidating than we had originally made it out to be.
Try using this tactic next time you feel overwhelmed by an event or situation.
Good luck!
With love & support, Molly
