There are two types of control fallacies we may be experiencing that is influencing our perception & internal story:

(1) We view ourselves as the helpless victim of our circumstances, where we have no control over anything and everything is happening *to* us.

(2) We view and hold ourselves as responsible for everyone else's pain and happiness. 

In both cases, we have an irrational perception on our control over the situations in our lives (either too little or that we control everyone and everything). 

Procrastination is not a result of laziness, but rather fear. We procrastinate because (1) we experience fear of failure or think we will not be 'good enough,' or (2) fear of the unknown where we don't actually know where to start and how to do this work. 

Becoming aware of why you are procrastinating will you break down the barrier that stops you from getting the work done.

Overgeneralisation occurs when we use information from one single isolated event and assume that things will always be that way. It can be detrimental especially when we hold onto one negative experience in the past, and expecting things to always be that same way. We are also subjected to confirmation bias (where we look out for info that confirms our belief) so that the negative expectation becomes a self-fulfilling prophecy. 

Break the cycle of negative thinking by becoming aware of the 'mental goggles' that you are wearing.

This is a the first episode of the "mental goggles" series, where we dive into each type of filters that influence the way we perceive the world around us. 

Personalisation is the mental filter where we take on irrelevant events or comments and perceive that it is directed towards us (that we are to blame, that we have done something wrong). For example, a friend could say "I'm bored" and you may perceive it as 'they are bored because I am boring and have nothing to offer.' Personalisation can impact our perception, and ultimately our mental wellbeing.

Become aware of your mental goggles in order to see that things are not necessarily as negative as you are perceiving it.

Confirmation bias

As humans, we are all subjected to psychological/cognitive biases. Confirmation bias is one of the biases that refers the tendency for us to seek out and interpret information that *confirms* our prior beliefs, while rejecting or avoiding information that goes against our core beliefs. 

This is relevant to our mental wellbeing because if you hold any negative prior beliefs e.g. "I am ugly" or "everyone hates me", you will most likely find confirming evidence for that beliefs in your environment. 

So it is crucial to be aware of what core beliefs you hold, as you will most likely find evidence to support that belief.

With light and love,

Natalie

Cognitive dissonance refers to the mental discomfort that we experience when our actions and behaviour do not align with the beliefs that we hold about ourselves. 

Ask yourself: "Am I behaving differently than the way I see myself/would like to see myself?" Awareness of your own cognitive dissonance may shed light on your own mental discomfort & why you are feeling bad.

Do you struggle with thoughts like...

Where did these believes stem from?

.....

Core beliefs are the beliefs we hold true about ourselves, about others and the world around us. They are formed in our early childhood from direct observations and life events. Core beliefs influence our perception of the world around us, and they are underlying our conscious thoughts, feelings and behaviour. 

Reflect on your own core beliefs and ask yourself: "Am I holding onto any negative core beliefs that no longer serve me?"

"Victimhood mindset"

So the next time you view that someone is being unfair to you, take a step back and recognize that THEY are also viewing themselves as victim of this situation as well.

"Neurons that fire together, wire together" - Donald Hebb

The brain is 'plastic,' meaning that it is continuously changing, reshaping and adapting its neural pathways in response to new situations and events. We can use this concept to feel better by consciously choosing a more positive thought when we are aware that we are thinking negatively. Even if it doesn't feel right or if we don't believe what we're thinking, we are contributing to creating a new and more positive automatic reaction by strengthening the firing of that particular neural pathway. 

Remember: feeling better is possible and it is 100% within your control.

Visit glomsdacoaching.com for free downloadable mental wellbeing resources.

Cognitive behaviour therapy states that our (1) thoughts, (2) feelings and (3) behaviour are interconnected and influence each other. When we are feeling bad, it is often linked to us having negative thoughts. Break the vicious cycle of feeling bad by changing it at the thought level. Become aware of your thoughts that cause you to feel bad and ask yourself: "is this actually fact or am I just perceiving it this way?"

Visit glomsdacoaching.com for free downloadable mental wellbeing resources.