Cognitive Distortions
Your brain takes thinking shortcuts that sometimes misfire — not stupidity, just mental autopilot gone wrong.
Inaccurate patterns of thinking that skew how we interpret events, ourselves, and others. Examples include black-and-white thinking (it's either perfect or terrible), mind-reading (assuming you know what others think), and catastrophizing. Everyone has them; anxiety and depression can amplify them dramatically.
How it works
Your brain evolved to process information quickly using patterns and assumptions. Sometimes those shortcuts create systematic errors — like all-or-nothing thinking, mind-reading, or personalising. Everyone has them, but anxiety and depression can turn up the volume significantly.
Think of it like
It's like wearing tinted glasses you forgot you put on — everything looks a certain colour, and you think that's just how the world is.
What it feels like
You feel certain that the worst interpretation is the right one, and it takes real effort to step back and see that your brain might be filtering unfairly.