Cognitive distortions are the everyday thinking traps a stressed mind falls into: a guess treated as fact, one flaw as the whole picture, a fear as a forecast. Naming the trap doesn’t erase it, but it makes the thought easier to hold at a distance.
What is happening
Under stress, the mind reaches for a few worn shortcuts instead of the plain facts: sorting into all-or-nothing, guessing what others are thinking, forecasting disaster before anything’s happened. None of it is broken thinking — it’s just fast, and it isn’t always accurate.
The move
you
I always mess everything up.
Nothing you type is stored or sent anywhere.
1 of 3
All-or-nothing: good or ruined, nothing between.
Because the mind sorts fast into two bins instead of the messy middle.
One typo in the email and the whole thing feels ruined, not just imperfect.
2 of 3
Mind-reading: guessing what others think of you.
Because a guess about someone’s opinion gets treated like a fact you overheard.
A friend seems quiet, and it becomes certain they’re annoyed with you.
3 of 3
Fortune-telling: predicting a bad ending in advance.
Because the mind forecasts the worst outcome and calls it a fact already known.
Before the interview even starts, it’s already decided you didn’t get it.
The practice
Name one trap from today — all-or-nothing, mind-reading, fortune-telling. Just naming which one it was, out loud or on paper, loosens its grip a little.
This is a teaching, not treatment. If you’re struggling, a doctor or therapist can help. If you’re in danger right now, call your local emergency number or a crisis line (in the US, call or text 988).