03/03/2026
“Most distress isn’t caused by events. It’s shaped by interpretation.
In clinical work, we often see how automatic thinking patterns intensify anxiety, shame, and low mood. These cognitive distortions are habitual, rigid interpretations of experience.
They can appear as all-or-nothing thinking (“If I’m not perfect, I’ve failed”), catastrophising (“This will be a disaster”), mind reading (“They must think badly of me”), or emotional reasoning — assuming something is true because it feels true.
These patterns are not character flaws. They are learned shortcuts that become inflexible over time.
Therapeutic work often begins by helping clients notice these distortions and develop more balanced appraisals.
As part of my clinical training, I continue to deepen my understanding of cognitive and behavioural models of distress.
Which pattern do you notice most often?”
