Managing Distorted Thinking

Here is an example:

1. Identify your distorted thought: "My crush likes my best friend—I will never love or be loved again."
2. Identify your feelings: "I feel angry, sad, embarrassed, lost, hurt…"
3. Don't overreact: "I want to scream and yell at him/her, but for now I need to avoid confronting or texting especially when I am really angry or sad."
4. Look for realistic solutions: "I either need to be open to dating someone else, or give myself time to heal and move on to better things."

Distorted thinking is a lifelong challenge for all human beings. The first step in changing distorted thoughts is to be mindful and recognize a thought as being irrational. So train yourself to look realistically at what is going on, get in touch with your true feelings, and come up with realistic expectations in order to help keep you on track. One of the best self-help skills as you go through life is to learn is to train your mind to be positive rather than concentrating on the problems that you encounter.