Analyze your thoughts against these ten common, negative thought distortions to uncover your irrational, self-defeating thoughts. We can be our own worst enemies.

1. All or Nothing Thinking. You look at things in absolute, black and white categories.
2. Overgeneralization. You view a negative event as a never-ending pattern of defeat.
3. Mental Filtering. You dwell on the negatives and ignore the positives.
4. Discounting the Positive. You insist that your accomplishments or positive qualities “don’t “count.”
5. Jumping to Conclusions. You assume that people are reacting negatively to you when there is no evidence. You arbitrarily predict that things will turn out badly.
6. Magnifying or Minimizing. You blow things way out of proportion or you shrink their importance inappropriately.
7. Emotional Reasoning. You reason from how you feel. “I feel like an idiot, so I must really be one.” (Just to let you know that, for about 10 seconds, I couldn’t remember how to spell “idiot.”
8. Should Statements. You criticize yourself with should or shouldn’ts.
9. Labeling. You identify with your shortcomings.
10. Personalization and Blame. You blame yourself for something you were not responsible for, or you blame other people and overlook how your attitudes and behavior might contribute to a problem.

From the book The Solution: A Blueprint for Change and Happiness by William Matta, Ed.D.