Cognitive distortions (hereinafter referred to as CI) are systematic errors in human judgment, that is, irrational thinking. There are a great many of them, but the most common ones are 15. How do they manifest themselves? They arise in response to a situation/trigger, that is, it is a way of interpreting a certain event, which is neutral, but people, with their thinking, give it meaning and, as a result, emotional overtones. The scheme is something like this: Situation-> Thought (as a way of interpretation situations, most often unconscious) -> Emotions (arising on the basis of thoughts) -> Reactions (bodily and behavioral). For example, if you think that a person's actually harmless comment is malicious; if you think that people think badly of you, etc. How are they formed? When you were a small child, you internalized a number of deep-seated beliefs about yourself, people, and the world in general. Deep beliefs (GB) most often cannot be discovered on your own; you think this way about yourself unconsciously. For example, if you are sure that you are not capable of anything (GU), then in response to a neutral situation you will think: “I won’t succeed anyway, I’d rather not even try” (CI). So why do they ruin your life? Irrational thinking has nothing to do with the real state of things, that is, you believe in something that does not exist, which limits the fullness of life and spoils the emotional background. Also, the presence of persistent cognitive distortions contributes to the development of depression, anxiety disorders, etc. What to do with them? If you can still notice CIs yourself and try to change them, then this is unlikely to work with deep-seated beliefs, because these are attitudes that were learned with childhood. It's like cutting a weed - it will help for a while, but it will still grow back, and the roots will extend deeper and deeper. So, if you feel emotionally ill, have increased anxiety, suspect you have depression (or have been diagnosed with it), or personality disorders, I recommend contacting a CBT specialist and not delaying it. Take care of yourself and do not underestimate the importance of psychological health. Sign up for a consultation taplink.cc/iam_psychologinya