How To Screen Your Thoughts
Have you ever gotten a new car and then started seeing it literally everywhere?
It’s not like 100 red Honda civics showed up on the street overnight. You’re just noticing them now.
We can do the same thing with our thoughts.
If we have a negative belief about ourselves we may look for evidence that it’s true. We’re constantly trying to prove our own point. The problem is, our evidence usually isn’t based in reality and it’s likely not all the evidence we have.
If you do this, your mental filter might be broken.
Mental filter is a term used to describe one type of cognitive distortion that can lead to higher levels of anxiety and depression. When thinking through a mental filter, a person is focusing only on the negative aspects of a situation and filtering out all of the positive ones.
How to screen your thoughts
Is there any other evidence in this situation?
Are you 100% sure it’s true?
Now, you will act as the defense attorney, prosecutor, and judge all at once, providing evidence for and against the irrational thought and evaluating the merit of the thought based on this evidence.
Write it down, it helps.