If you often find yourself overthinking or ending up in loops of negative thoughts, saying to yourself stuff like “I always mess things up”, “This is going to end badly, I just know it”, don’t be affraid. You are not alone in this, and you are not broken. This is exactly the type of mental hurdles that Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT) deals with. These common thinking patterns are known in CBT as cognitive distortions. They are habitual ways the mind simplifies, exaggerates, or misinterprets reality, often in ways that increase anxiety, stress, or low mood. The good news is that once you learn to recognize them, they lose their power over you.
What are cognitive distortions?
In the field of CBT, cognitive distortions are defined as automatic thought patterns that might feel 100% real in the moment, but are often exaggerated or straight up inaccurate. Truth is that these thoughts are the brain’s way of protecting you from making fast judgements, especially under high stress. The idea is that your brain is all about making rational decisions. The brain is constantly trying to work through problems, and if there aren’t any obvious issues in front of you, your brain will try to “create” them for you to keep itself busy. That’s why it’s so hard for us as humans to relax. And that’s why working or doing stuff takes your mind off negative thoughts. Work or just being involved in something interesting or important is such a great therapeutic tool. That’s also the reason why when some people go without a job for an extended period of time, they could sway towards drug or alcohol abuse.
Working or just keeping yourself busy is a great way to take your mind off such negative thinking traps. However, CBT is another really effective tool that you can use to identify these thought patterns immediately. CBT works on identifying and challennging these thoughts. The idea is to not only “think positive”, but to think more accurately.
The most common cognitive distortions
Below are some of the most frequent distortions identified in CBT, along with examples you might recognize.
1. All-or-nothing thinking
You see situations in extremes: success or failure, good or bad.
“If I don’t do this perfectly, it’s a total failure.”
This pattern ignores progress, effort, and nuance.
2. Catastrophizing
Your mind jumps straight to the worst possible outcome.
“If I make one mistake, everything will fall apart.”
Even neutral situations can start to feel dangerous when this distortion is active.
3. Mind reading
You assume you know what others are thinking—usually something negative.
“They didn’t reply. They must be annoyed with me.”
No evidence, just certainty.
4. Overgeneralization
One negative experience becomes a sweeping conclusion.
“This didn’t work. Nothing ever works for me.”
A single data point becomes a life story.
5. Emotional reasoning
You treat feelings as facts.
“I feel anxious, so this must be unsafe.”
Emotions are real—but they are not always accurate indicators of reality.
Why these thoughts feel so convincing
Cognitive distortions often appear during:
- Stress
- Fatigue
- Uncertainty
- Emotional overload
They are automatic, which is why simply telling yourself to “stop thinking that way” rarely works. By the time you notice the thought, it already feels true.
CBT doesn’t try to suppress these thoughts. Instead, it helps you step back and observe them.
How to start spotting cognitive distortions in daily life
You don’t have to analyze every thought that goes through your mind or try to label everything. There some give-aways that you can watch out for:
- Words like “always,” “never,” “everyone,” “nothing”
- Sudden spikes of anxiety or shame without a clear cause
- Replaying the same situation repeatedly in your mind
- Strong emotional reactions that feel disproportionate
When you notice these signals, try asking:
“Is this a fact, or is this a familiar pattern?”
That question alone creates distance.
Awareness comes before change
One of the biggest misconceptions about CBT is that it’s about replacing negative thoughts with positive ones. It’s not.
The real shift happens when you:
- Notice recurring patterns over time
- See how mood, context, and thoughts interact
- Respond with curiosity instead of self-criticism
This is difficult to do consistently in your head—especially when emotions are high.
That’s why many people use structured reflection tools to track moods, thoughts, and patterns across days or weeks, rather than relying on memory alone.
A gentle next step
If you find yourself recognizing these patterns but struggling to catch them in real time, guided reflection can help.
Mindsila is designed around CBT principles to help you notice recurring thought patterns, connect them to mood changes, and reflect without judgment—privately and at your own pace.
You don’t need to “fix” your thoughts. You just need to start seeing them clearly.
The Mindsila app (available for both Android and iOS) comes with guided thought journals with AI assistant, a gratitude journal (focus on positive experiences), and free journaling form. These types of journaling are there to help you identify such common cognitive distortions.
No. Cognitive distortions are common thought patterns experienced by most people, especially during stress or emotional difficulty. They are not a diagnosis and do not mean something is wrong with you.
They can become less intense, but without awareness they often repeat automatically. Learning to recognize them is usually the first step toward reducing their impact.
A therapist can help, but many CBT-based techniques focus on self-awareness and reflection that people can practice independently, especially with structured tools.
No. Overthinking tends to loop without clarity. CBT-style awareness is about observing patterns briefly and objectively, not analyzing them endlessly.