What Are Automatic Thoughts?

Common Distortions in Automatic Thinking

• All-or-nothing thinking Viewing situations in only two categories rather than on a continuum. For example, believing a presentation was a total failure because you stumbled over one sentence.Example: You eat a slice of cake on your diet and think 'I've completely blown it,' so you give up for the rest of the week.
• Catastrophizing Predicting the worst possible outcome without considering more likely alternatives. A single mistake becomes evidence that everything will fall apart.Example: You make a typo in a work email and think 'My boss will lose all confidence in me and I'll probably get fired.'
• Mind reading Assuming you know what others are thinking, usually that they are judging you negatively, without any real evidence to support that conclusion.Example: Your coworker seems quiet at lunch and you conclude 'She thinks my idea in the meeting was stupid,' when she's actually just tired.
• Discounting the positive Dismissing positive experiences or accomplishments as flukes, while treating negative events as proof of your inadequacy.Example: You receive a glowing performance review but dismiss it with 'They're just being nice' while dwelling on one small piece of constructive feedback.
• Emotional reasoning Treating feelings as evidence of truth. Because you feel anxious, you conclude that something must actually be dangerous.Example: You feel anxious about flying and conclude 'This plane must be unsafe,' even though you know air travel is statistically very safe.

How to Challenge Automatic Thoughts

1. Catch the thought When you notice a shift in mood, pause and ask yourself what just went through your mind. Write it down exactly as it occurred.Example: I notice I feel anxious after reading an email from my manager. My thought was: 'She thinks I'm incompetent.'
2. Examine the evidence Ask yourself what facts support or contradict this thought. Look for concrete evidence rather than relying on feelings or assumptions.Example: Evidence for: She corrected a small error. Evidence against: She praised my last report and gave me a new project.
3. Generate a balanced alternative Create a new thought that accounts for all the evidence. This is not forced positivity; it is a more accurate interpretation of the situation.Example: She pointed out a correction because she wants the work to be accurate. That does not mean she thinks I am incompetent.
4. Notice the emotional shift After forming a balanced thought, check in with your emotions. Most people notice at least a small reduction in the intensity of the negative feeling.Example: After reframing 'I'm terrible at this' to 'I'm still learning and improving,' your anxiety drops from an 8 out of 10 to a 5.

Key Takeaway