Stress is caused by various situations from different areas of our life which need appropriate action.Ex.- career, studies, relationships, etc.

Stress and anxiety are often caused due to thoughts that are irrelevant to the original situation.

The main origin of these polluted thoughts which create mental chaosis thinking errors or cognitive distortions.

These errors are formed when we thinkin a certain style which leads us to different kinds of negative concepts about ourselves and others

The most common thinking errors made by most of us are-

1 .Arbitrary Inference-jumping to conclusions without sufficient and relevant evidence “they didn’t pick up my call they are ignoring me”

2. Overgeneralisation- making a broad interpretation from a small sample size of events
3. Mindreading– thinking that we know what the person in front of us is thinking and conclude it without evidence and clarity.
4. Catastrophising– when someone is thinking and assuming about a situation in extreme ways and worst-case scenarios, ex- “if I don’t pass the test, I’ll fail the class, I’ll never get into college, and I’ll never have a career”.
5. All or nothing– also known as black-and-white thinking or polarized thinking where we think of extreme ends for any situation. Ex.- “Everything is terrible in my life nothing good ever happens”
6. Personalisation– blaming yourself for something which isn’t your fault ex. – “Our team lost because of me”
7. Absolute thinking-a. Maximisation-magnifying one aspect of life too much while ignoring other aspects. b. Minimisation-downsizing the value of any event or aspect of your life or yourself.
8. Control fallacy-the idea of being completely helpless or in complete control of every situation.
9. Emotional reasoning-when you consider your emotions as the evidence for truth ex.- I’m feeling guilty I must have done something bad

One thing you must do when you get trapped under these errors is-

To challenge them-

1. How do I know if this thought is accurate?
2. What evidence do I have to support this thought or belief?
3. How can I test my assumptions/beliefs to find out if they’re accurate?
4. Do I have a trusted friend whom I can check out these thoughts with?
5. Is this thought helpful?
6. Are there other ways I can think about this situation or myself?
7. Am I blaming myself unnecessarily
8. What or who else contributed to this situation?
9. Is it really in my control?
10. Am I making an assumption?
11. Am I over-generalizing?
12. What would I say to a friend in this situation
13. Am I assuming the worst?
14. Am I holding myself to an unreasonable or double standard?
15. Are there exceptions to these absolutes?
16. Am I making it personal when it isn’t

Other than these effective measures to destroy these corrupted thoughts some more tips are beneficial for a peaceful life

1. Decluttering– removing all the unnecessary files and contacts from your phone, disposing of useless objects, and cutting cords from people who suck all your energy from you like a mosquito … well you have to stop investing mental and physical energy around these things.
2. Journaling– an abundance of profit in your personal life is achievable through keeping a log of – How You Are Feeling and what you are feeling. don’t you think it would be amazing to share all your desires and frustration of your daily life with something which won’t judge you?
3. Rest-enough amount of sleep is proven in reducing stress and mental fatigue, so try to sleep for 6-8 hours every night.
4. Time management– try to manage your schedule in a way that will make you feel secure and active instead of making you feel tired in everything you do.
5. Nutrition-nutritional deficiency like vitaminb1deficiency can cause a low level of energy, vit. B6 is responsible for the creation of certain brain chemicals important for mood regulation, low level of Vit. D is linked to depression in children. therefore, a balanced diet is a must for precaution against depression.
6. Meditation and mindfulness– next time you feel the control of stress over your body try to focus on the present, be grateful for what you have that others lack, recognize tension in your body and release it, and focus on your breath- breath in energy and let go of the ill thoughts.

SAKSHI ROY- BA (HONS) APPILED PSYCHOLOG