All or nothing thinking (also known as black and white thinking) is a negative thinking pattern that's common in people with depression or anxiety. In this video I’ll explain what it is, how it makes common mental health issues worse and share several ways to overcome it.
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🔵 CHAPTERS
0:00 What is all or nothing thinking (with examples)
1:32 Step 1: Notice how you're thinking
2:19 Step 2: Look for the shades of grey
3:07 Step 3:Name the emotion
3:31 Step 4: Use the word 'and'
4:09 Step 5: Thoughts are not facts
4:51 Step 6: Practice self-compassion
🔵 CBT BOOK RECOMMENDATIONS
☐ The Clinician's Guid to CBT Using Mind Over Mood by Christine A. Padesky. Please click on the link to buy from Amazon: amzn.to/409z8ko
☐ Mind Over Mood by Dennis Greenberger and Christine Padesky. Please click on the link to buy from Amazon: amzn.to/3Hi7lp9
☐ Cognitive Behavioural Therapist Basics and Beyond by Judith Beck. Please click on the link to buy from Amazon: amzn.to/3RfTN2f
🔵 Step one. What can you do about all or nothing thinking? The first step is to notice how you’re thinking. Look out for extreme words such as ‘always’, and ’never’ which lead directly to all or nothing thinking. For example: I always mess things up or I always lose.Catching yourself using all-or-nothing language takes some practice because thinking this way can be so automatic. When you notice all or nothing thinking it you might be useful to say to yourself ‘thats all or nothing thinking’. Labelling your thinking in this way can create a sense of separation from your thoughts.
🔵 Step two, look for the shades of grey. For example, Matt believes he is a total failure because he hasn’t got a job. He is looking at himself in only two categories ‘success or failure’ which makes him feel depressed and want to give up. It would be really helpful if Matt could look for the shades of grey. He might do this by asking a series of socratic questions.
🔵 Step three, name the emotion. Instead of saying “I’m a complete failure” it would be more realistic and helpful to say, “I feel anxious about my career”. Identifying emotions keeps you grounded in reality. It also gives you the opportunity to problem solve.
🔵 Step 4. Use the word ‘and’. Instead or saying “I’m a bad person” you might say “I have a lot of great qualities and sometimes I make mistakes” Instead of saying “the interview was a total disaster” you might say “I answered some questions well and some questions not so well”. This avoids absolute black and white language.
🔵 Step 5, thoughts are not facts. Just because you think something doesn’t mean its true. Did you know the brain actually has a bias to think negatively? It’s called the negativity bias. In order to survive, our ancestors were continually scanning their surrounding for threats. From an evolutionary perspective its understood that the tendency to dwell on the negative is simply one way your brain tries to keep you safe.
🔵 Step six, practice self compassion. All or nothing tends to be very harsh and self-critical. Talking to yourself in the way can actually trigger your threat system and activate your fight or flight response. Fortunately, you can dampen the threat response by practicing self-compassion.
🔵 HELPFUL EXERCISES
☐ Mindful Breathing: kzitem.info/news/bejne/u5qo1pmrenOndHo
☐ The Body Scan: kzitem.info/news/bejne/johjyX-asXdijG0
☐ Soothing Rhythm Breathing: kzitem.info/news/bejne/24lq1nVncHx-iKw
☐ The Safe Place: kzitem.info/news/bejne/lW960Yh9j6WEdG0
🔵 ABOUT TERESA LEWIS
Teresa Lewis is the founder and Director of Lewis Psychology and a Senior Accredited psychotherapist with the British Association for Counselling and Psychotherapy (MBACP Snr. Accred). Qualified in 1995, Teresa has been providing counselling and psychotherapy treatment for nearly 30 years. Teresa holds a masters degree in counselling and psychotherapy and is a qualified EMDR Practitioner having completed training accredited with EMDR Europe. Teresa is also a qualified adult educator and an accredited Mindfulness teacher As a recognised expert in her field Teresa is frequently asked to conduct editorial reviews and endorse counselling and psychotherapy books for international publishing houses.
☐ Email: teresa.lewispsy@gmail.com
☐ Buy Me A Coffee: www.buymeacoffee.com/lewispsychology
🔵 GRAPHICS AND THUMBNAIL
Thumbnail and B-Roll graphics by Teresa Lewis. B-Roll video is used in strict compliance with the appropriate permissions and licenses required from Pexels.com in accordance with the KZitem Partner Program, Community guidelines and KZitem terms of service.
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