You are a stay-at-home mother, and your heart sinks when your husband complained that the meal you made for dinner was overcooked.
The following thought crosses your mind: "I'm a total failure. I can't stand it! I never do anything right. I work like a slave and this is all the thanks I get! The jerk!"
These thoughts cause you to feel sad and angry.
Answer:
You have just read the sentence in which I informed you that you would have to take this self-assessment quiz. Your heart suddenly sinks and you think, "Oh no, not another test! I always do lousy on tests. I'll have to skip this part of the course. It makes me nervous, so it wouldn't help anyway."
Answer:
You are a psychiatrist at the University of Pennsylvania. You are attempting to revise your manuscript on depression after meeting with your editor in New York. Although your editor seemed extremely enthusiastic, you notice you are feeling nervous and inadequate due to your thoughts, "They made a terrible mistake when they chose my book! I won't be able to do a good job. I'll never be able to make the book fresh, lively, and punchy. My writing is too drab, and my ideas aren't good enough."
Answer:
You are lonely and you decide to attend a social event for singles. Soon after you get there, you have the urge to leave because you feel anxious and defensive. The following thoughts run through your mind: "They probably aren't very interesting people. Why torture myself? They're just a bunch of losers. I can tell because I feel so bored. This party will be a drag."
Answer:
You receive a layoff notice from your employer. You feel mad and frustrated. You think, "This proves the world is no damn good. I never get a break."
Answer:
You are about to give a presentation and you notice that your heart is pounding. You feel tense and nervous because you think, "My God, I'll probably forget what I'm supposed to say. My speech isn't any good anyway. My mind will blank out. I'll make a fool of myself."
Answer:
Your date calls you at the last minute to cancel out because of illness. You feel angry and disappointed because you think, "I'm getting stood up. What did I do to mess things up?"
Answer:
You have put off writing a report for work. Every night when you try to get down to it, the whole project seems so difficult that you watch Netflix instead. You begin to feel overwhelmed and guilty. You are thinking the following: "I'm so lazy I'll never get this done. I just can't do the darn thing. It would take forever. It won't turn out right anyway."
Answer:
You've been trying to eat more healthily. This weekend you've been nervous, and, since you didn't have anything to do, you've been nibbling and nibbling. After your fourth piece of candy, you tell yourself, "I just can't control myself. My mindful eating and exercise all week have gone down the drain. I must look like a balloon. I shouldn't have eaten all that. I can't stand this. I'm going to pig out all weekend!" You begin to feel so guilty you push another handful of candy into your mouth in an abortive effort to feel better.
Answer:
* This Cognitive Distortions quiz is adapted from David D. Burns' Feeling Good book.
Ed Blunderfield is a certified Integral Coach™ who helps people create what they want with less stress than ever before.
Please note: This website and the Open Dialogue A.I. app is not a crisis service or a form of medical treatment. No person should use information found in this website or in the app to replace a relationship with a clinician or other healthcare professional. Nor should they rely on information from this website or the app as professional medical advice.
