Seven Thinking Traps and How to Avoid Them

Have you ever had a sense that something was going to be a disaster, or that someone didn’t like you, despite a lack of evidence? If you have experienced these types of thoughts, chances are you’ve experienced cognitive distortions, also known as thinking traps. Cognitive distortions are like viruses of the mind. They can infect your thoughts and seriously affect how you think, feel, or act in various situations with friends, family, and strangers.

Psychologist Aaron Beck identified cognitive distortions as faulty thinking patterns. Cognitive distortions, or thinking traps, are clever lies we tell ourselves again and again until they become part of our inner dialogue. They can take control, steering us away from positive outcomes and getting to the truth. These thinking traps can take root and become patterns that affect the way we see the world.

The Canadian Mental Health Association writes, “Everyone falls into unbalanced thinking traps from time to time. You’re most likely to distort your interpretation of things when you already feel sad, angry, anxious, depressed, or stressed. You’re also more vulnerable to thinking traps when you’re not taking good care of yourself, like when you’re not eating or sleeping well.”

During hardship or personal challenges, we are especially prone to these patterns of thinking. It’s easy to dwell on the past or worry about the future, and to spend time bullying yourself. The problem with thinking traps is that you can become your own worst enemy by focusing so much attention on what went wrong instead of concentrating equally hard on what is going right.

Thinking traps can have a negative effect on your wellbeing and may contribute to depression and anxiety. But if you can step back for just one moment before responding — especially on social media where people often respond without even realizing what their own feelings might be — you will find yourself being calmer and able to step out of whatever trap you have found yourself in.

THINKING TRAPS

Let’s dive deeper. Here are seven common thinking traps.

Fortune-telling: with this thinking trap we predict that things will turn out badly. “I know I’ll mess up.” “I will never be able to manage my anxiety.” It’s like we are gazing into a crystal ball and see only bad fortune in our future.

Black-or-white thinking: with this thinking trap we frame events or situations in terms of extremes. Things are either good or bad, a success or a failure. In reality, most events are neither. For example, if you have a dessert while you’re on a diet, ‘cheating’ doesn’t mean you’ve failed. Negative self-talk may sound like “I have failed completely, and I should just give up.”

Mind-reading: with this thinking trap we believe we have some sort of extra sensory perception (ESP) that allows us to read other people’s minds. We fall into this trap when we believe we know what someone else is thinking. Mind-reading has less to do with ESP than with our limited and very often poor perception based on our emotions and thoughts. We are not reading other people’s minds, rather we are projecting our emotions and insecurities onto them.

Over-generalization: with this thinking trap we ignore details and differences. When we over-generalize, we use words like “always” or “never” to describe situations or events. We fail to take all situations or events into account. For example, “I always f*ck up.” “I never get it right.”

Labeling: with this thinking trap we put negative labels on ourselves or others. “I’m stupid.” “He’s a loser.” This thinking trap is often associated with anger. Labelling is dehumanizing and deeply problematic. It can destroy both your self-esteem and your relationships.

Negative filtering: with this thinking trap we only pay attention to the bad things that happen and ignore neutral or happy events. Doing this prevents us from finding the good in situations. For example, you might believe that you did a poor job on a presentation because someone looked bored, even though others looked interested, and people came up to you afterward to praise you for your excellent presentation.

Catastrophizing: with this thinking trap we imagine a worst-case scenario, blowing things out of proportion. We treat events as if the worst possible thing is about to happen and we predict that we won’t be able to cope with whatever happens next. For example, “it’s going to be a disaster, everyone will laugh at me, and I won’t be able to survive the shame.”

WHAT TO DO?

These thinking traps are like Chinese finger traps: the more we struggle, the tighter the trap and the hold on us. But when we stop struggling, we can break free.

Thinking traps can become a very serious problem for our mental health, relationships, and wellbeing. These faulty thinking patterns can cause us tremendous distress. We need psychological tools to counter our thinking traps, and free us from the struggle. Here are some steps you can take to overcome thinking traps.

Learn mindfulness skills. I strongly recommend learning mindfulness skills as a remedy for thinking traps. Thinking traps can become so fixed and ingrained that we don’t realize that we have them. The way out of thinking traps is to learn how to observe them. Mindfulness can help us identify the thinking traps we are experiencing in the moment.

Recognize patterns. Try to identify the specific thinking traps you tend to fall prey to. Use mindfulness practices to observe the quality and characteristics of your thoughts. Bring your attention to these patterns of thoughts, and try to recognize when they are most likely to pop up.

Play the devil’s advocate with yourself. Before jumping to conclusions ask yourself, “is this thought I’m having a fact or is it an opinion?”, “do I have enough information?”, “what types of thoughts am I experiencing, and are they thinking traps?” Most thoughts are actually opinions rather than fact. Not all thoughts need to be taken seriously.

Be kind to yourself. Try rooting for yourself in the same way you would do for a friend. Try using a mantra like “I believe in you” when self-doubt kicks in. Self-care is important for your wellbeing. Neglecting self-care can lead to an increase in stress, which will make thinking traps worse. When we are trapped in our thoughts, they can take us on a wild ride that feels like it will never end.

We all experience ups and downs in our lives, and difficult times can produce situations that cause us to see the world through our struggles. The key in dealing with these thinking traps is how we respond to our thoughts and emotions.

Draw your attention to your thoughts and emotions. Acknowledge your struggles and take action to become aware of the thinking traps you experience. This can be an opportunity for personal growth.