We all have moments where our thoughts run away with us. Maybe you walk out of a meeting convinced you sounded foolish, or you send one text and spend the rest of the day worrying you said the wrong thing. I know this one personally—I’ve caught myself lying awake at 2 a.m., replaying conversations over and over, convinced I came across the wrong way. That’s a classic cognitive distortion at work.
The important thing to know is this: having distorted thoughts doesn’t mean something is wrong with you. Every single person experiences them. The problem is when these patterns stick around and start running the show, leading to more anxiety, self-doubt, and sometimes depression.
The good news? Once you can name these distortions, you can begin to notice them, challenge them, and shift them.