Welcome!
Stress &
Mind Traps
Updated October, 2016
For more information georgiancollege.ca/studentservices/counselling/
In Ontario
alone
students
Suffer some
form of distress
thousand
in psychological
adolescents distress
OK.
So
=CRAP!
what
can
I do?
aware
Be
of your thinking. . . . . . . . .
Yeah, but
How to
FORTUNE TELLING
This is when you ‘predict’ that things will turn out badly
Examples; “I know I’ll mess up”
“I will never be able to manage my anxiety”
In reality, we cannot predict the future – we
don’t have a crystal ball!
How to
BLACK AND WHITE THINKING
This is when we only look at situations in terms of extremes.
Examples; “Anything less than perfect is a failure”
“I planned to eat only healthy foods but I had chocolate and
now my diet is ruined!”
In reality, most events call for a more moderate
explanation. Not all or nothing!
How to
MIND READING
This is when you think that you know what others are thinking and we
assume that they are thinking the worst of us.
Examples; “Others think that I am stupid”
“She/he doesn’t like me”
In reality, none of us can read minds and so we should not
assume we know what others are thinking.
How to
OVER-GENERALIZATION
This is when we use words such as ‘always’ or ‘never’ to describe
things/people/events
Examples; “I always screw up”
“I am never good at public speaking”
In reality, this is not a helpful way to think as it does
not take into account all situations or events.
How to
LABELING
This is talking to yourself in a mean way and use a single negative word to
describe yourself
Examples; “I’m stupid”
“I am a loser”
This is unfair to ourselves – we cannot be
summed up in just one word.
How to
OVER-ESTIMATING DANGER
This is when we believe that something that is unlikely to happen, will
happen
Examples; “I’ll go crazy”
“I am dying”
In reality, this type of thinking maintains our
anxiety! It is based on emotion and not logic.
How to
FILTERING
This is where you only pay attention to the bad things and ignore the good
Example; Believing that you did a bad job on a presentation
because some people looked bored during it.
Even though you received several compliments on how well
you did
If we only pay attention to the bad things in life, this
can give us a bleak and skewed view of things.
How to
CATASTROPHIZING
This is when we imagine the worst possible scenario and predict that we will
not be able to cope with the outcome
Examples; “I will freak out and everyone will see”
“Everyone will laugh at me and I won’t ever be able to go back”
In reality, the worst case seldom happens. Even
if it did, we can cope with more than we think.
How to
SHOULD STATEMENTS
This is when you tell yourself how you should/must/ought to be
Examples; “I should never make mistakes”
“I ought to be as good at everything as my friend ”
In reality, this way of thinking makes you feel more pressure
and disappointment with yourself and others around you.
Ask yourself, am I falling
into one of these
thinking traps?
Fortune Telling
Over-estimating danger
Black and white thinking
Filtering
Mind reading
Catastrophizing
Over-generalization
Should statements
Labeling
Let’s do an example. . . . . . . . . . . . . .
Your manager asks to see you right away!
What does your
body do?
You have experienced all of this……
But…. nothing has happened yet!
Seriously?
BELIEVE
Teachers
Transition Worker
Student Success
Peers
in YOU!
Believe
that you
can
SUCCEED
Give
yourself
some
Credit,
you are worth it!
Some Useful Resources
Counsellor, Jessica Clark
A203 Every Tuesday
[email protected]
211ontario.ca
• mindyourmind.ca
• www.anxietybc.com
• au.reachout.com
•