Post by Sam on Mar 26, 2016 19:21:53 GMT
We are all prone at the best of times (never mind PMDD times) to unhelpful 'distorted thinking' but when we are either under stress or are feeling depressed, these distortions become sometimes much more exaggerated. I would like to talk about the particular types of this distorted thinking, coping mechanisms and how we can try get around it in the first place. Here is the first type:
Black or white thinking
You think in absolutes, definates, good or bad, black or white, with no in betweens. You tend to judge people and events with generalized labels. E.g 'he's an idiot', 'I'm hopeless', 'I'm a complete failure'. You probably wouldn't think twice about condemning yourself completely as a person on the basis of a single little event.
Remember: Opposites can exist closely together. Try to think in shades of grey.
Things are never either black or white. When you realise this, quite simply you free yourself from the prison of your own mind. You learn to let go and accept all the grey areas, the ones you wouldn't acknowledge before. Its so easy placing everything in black and white, good and bad boxes. The hard part is realising when you are doing this and then aiming to put a stop to the bad habit. That's all it is, a bad habit that almost always has a negative effect.
Let go of all your judgements, misconceptions and preconceptions. Live as if anything is possible. Accept all possibilities no matter how impossible they seem and know that at the end of it all you will be fine. Maybe even more than. Instead of trying to control outcomes try to focus on having positive and empowering reactions to whatever you experience. Don't worry if you make a mistake, even the best of them make mistakes. Choose to see the good where other times you know you only chose to see the bad. Stop misjudging people and situations because of your past. I know that I am guilty of that myself. That was then and this is now....try not to pass judgements, stop obsessing over the tiny details, stop over analysing or look for faults, do not condemn yourself and get that used to the fact that you can not control every aspect of your life, no matter how hard you try!
~S
Black or white thinking
You think in absolutes, definates, good or bad, black or white, with no in betweens. You tend to judge people and events with generalized labels. E.g 'he's an idiot', 'I'm hopeless', 'I'm a complete failure'. You probably wouldn't think twice about condemning yourself completely as a person on the basis of a single little event.
Remember: Opposites can exist closely together. Try to think in shades of grey.
Things are never either black or white. When you realise this, quite simply you free yourself from the prison of your own mind. You learn to let go and accept all the grey areas, the ones you wouldn't acknowledge before. Its so easy placing everything in black and white, good and bad boxes. The hard part is realising when you are doing this and then aiming to put a stop to the bad habit. That's all it is, a bad habit that almost always has a negative effect.
Let go of all your judgements, misconceptions and preconceptions. Live as if anything is possible. Accept all possibilities no matter how impossible they seem and know that at the end of it all you will be fine. Maybe even more than. Instead of trying to control outcomes try to focus on having positive and empowering reactions to whatever you experience. Don't worry if you make a mistake, even the best of them make mistakes. Choose to see the good where other times you know you only chose to see the bad. Stop misjudging people and situations because of your past. I know that I am guilty of that myself. That was then and this is now....try not to pass judgements, stop obsessing over the tiny details, stop over analysing or look for faults, do not condemn yourself and get that used to the fact that you can not control every aspect of your life, no matter how hard you try!
~S
but I never give up.