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How to use Cognitive Restructuring to hack your thoughts? · Deep Thoughts

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  Speaker 1: Ever feel like your thoughts are like a running the show,
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  Speaker 1: you know, dictating how you feel and react to things.
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  Speaker 2: It's like our minds are on autopilot and we're just
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  Speaker 2: along for the ride.
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  Speaker 1: Well, today we're going to deep dive into a technique
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  Speaker 1: that can help us take back the wheel, so to speak.
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  Speaker 1: It's called cognitive restructuring.
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  Speaker 2: It's all about rewiring those automatic thought patterns that can
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  Speaker 2: sometimes lead us down a not so great path.
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  Speaker 1: So where does this idea of cognitive restructuring, Where does
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  Speaker 1: it come from?
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  Speaker 2: It really emerged from the world of therapy, specifically the
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  Speaker 2: work of doctor Aaron tedback.
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  Speaker 1: Back, Yeah, the father of cognitive behavioral.
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  Speaker 2: Therapy right CBT. And Beck's research was groundbreaking because he
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  Speaker 2: really highlighted the power of our thoughts. You know, he
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  Speaker 2: showed how distorted thinking can actually contribute to emotional distress.
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  Speaker 1: So it's not just about like thinking positive thoughts. It's
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  Speaker 1: deeper than that, exactly.
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  Speaker 2: It's about identifying those thought patterns that aren't serving us well,
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  Speaker 2: the ones that that might be based on faulty assumptions
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  Speaker 2: or or unrealistic expectations, and.
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  Speaker 1: Then what like, how do we how do we restructure
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  Speaker 1: those thoughts.
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  Speaker 2: Well, that's where the restructuring comes in. It's a process
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  Speaker 2: of challenging those negative thoughts and replacing them with more,
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  Speaker 2: more helpful and realistic ones.
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  Speaker 1: That makes sense. So is there is there a kind
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  Speaker 1: of a specific way to go about this restructuring.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, there are. There are actually several techniques involved, but
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  Speaker 2: one key aspect is learning to recognize what are called
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  Speaker 2: cognitive distortions. That are They're not as scary as they sound. Basically,
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  Speaker 2: these are just patterns of thinking that tend to twist
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  Speaker 2: reality in a negative way.
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  Speaker 1: Okay, I think I get it. So, like, what would
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  Speaker 1: be an example of a cognitive distortion, Well, let's.
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  Speaker 2: Say you make a mistake at work, and then you
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  Speaker 2: start thinking, oh, I'm such a failure. I always mess
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  Speaker 2: things up.
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  Speaker 1: Ah, yeah, I've definitely had those thoughts, right.
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  Speaker 2: Well, that would be an example of overgeneralization, where you
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  Speaker 2: you take one isolated incident and apply it to your
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  Speaker 2: whole self or your entire life.
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  Speaker 1: And that's obviously not accurate or helpful.
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  Speaker 2: No it's not. And so in cognitive restructuring, you would
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  Speaker 2: challenge that thought. You might say, Okay, I made a mistake,
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  Speaker 2: but that doesn't mean I'm a failure. Everyone makes mistakes.
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  Speaker 1: Yeah, it's about putting things in perspective, right, And.
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  Speaker 2: That's just one example. There are many other cognitive distortions,
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  Speaker 2: like catastrophizing where you imagine the worst case scenario, or
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  Speaker 2: black and white thinking, where you see things as all
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  Speaker 2: good or all bad.
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  Speaker 1: So by learning to identify these distortions, we can start
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  Speaker 1: to break free from those negative thought patterns exactly.
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  Speaker 2: And it's not just about changing our thoughts. It's also
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  Speaker 2: about changing our feelings and behaviors.
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  Speaker 1: But how does that actually happen? I mean, if we've
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  Speaker 1: been stuck in these negative thought patterns for a long time,
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  Speaker 1: can we really just like snap our fingers and change them?
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  Speaker 2: It does take some effort in practice. But the amazing
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  Speaker 2: thing is our brains are actually wired for change.
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  Speaker 1: You're talking about neuroplasticity.
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  Speaker 2: Yeah, the brain's ability to you wire itself.
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  Speaker 1: I've heard about that, but it's still pretty mind blowing
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  Speaker 1: to think about.
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  Speaker 2: Well, think of it this way. Every time you learn
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  Speaker 2: something new or have a new experience, your brain is
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  Speaker 2: forming new connections. Okay, and cognitive restructuring is kind of
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  Speaker 2: like building a new mental muscle. The more you practice it,
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  Speaker 2: the stronger that muscle becomes.
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  Speaker 1: So we're actually changing the structure of our brains to
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  Speaker 1: some extent.
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  Speaker 2: Yes, studies have even shown that cognitive restructuring can actually
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  Speaker 2: decrease activity in the amigdala, which is the part of
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  Speaker 2: the brain associated with fear and anxiety.
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  Speaker 1: So it's not just some feel good technique. There's actual
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  Speaker 1: science behind.
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  Speaker 2: It, absolutely, and the benefits go beyond just reducing anxiety.
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  Speaker 2: Cognitive restructuring can also help with depression, anger management, and
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  Speaker 2: even things like procrastination.
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  Speaker 1: Oh wow, so how does it help with something like procrastination?
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  Speaker 2: Well, often procrastination is rooted in fear of failure or perfectionism.
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  Speaker 2: You know, those thoughts like I have to do this
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  Speaker 2: perfectly or what if I mess it up?
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  Speaker 1: And those thoughts can really paralyze us.
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  Speaker 2: Right, So cognitive restructuring helps you to challenge those thoughts
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  Speaker 2: and replace them with more realistic and productive ones like
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  Speaker 2: it's okay to make mistakes, or done is better than perfect.
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  Speaker 1: I'd like that done is better than perfect.
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  Speaker 2: And it's not just about individual challenges. Cognitive restruction can
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  Speaker 2: also be really helpful in relationships. How so, Well, we
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  Speaker 2: often make assumptions about other people's intentions, and those assumptions
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  Speaker 2: can lead to conflicts and misunderstanding. We jump to conclusions, right,
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  Speaker 2: So with cognitive restructuring, you can pause and question those assumptions.
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  Speaker 2: You can ask yourself, is there another way to interpret
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  Speaker 2: this situation?
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  Speaker 1: So instead of immediately assuming that your partner is ignoring you,
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  Speaker 1: you might consider that they're just you know, stressed out about.
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  Speaker 2: Work or something exactly, and that can make a big
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  Speaker 2: difference in how you respond to the situation.
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  Speaker 1: So cognitive restructuring is really about taking control of our
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  Speaker 1: thoughts and choosing how we want to react to the
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  Speaker 1: world around us.
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  Speaker 2: It is empowering. It's not about denying our negative thoughts.
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  Speaker 2: It's about about acknowledging them and then choosing whether we
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  Speaker 2: want to let them control us or not.
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  Speaker 1: It's a powerful tool and it sounds like it can
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  Speaker 1: be applied to so many different areas of life.
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  Speaker 2: It can. And the best part is it's a skill
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  Speaker 2: that anyone can learn.
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  Speaker 1: Well, that's encouraging. So for our listeners out there, what's
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  Speaker 1: one thing they can do today to start incorporating cognitive
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  Speaker 1: restructuring into their lives.
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  Speaker 2: Well, I would say start by paying attention to your thoughts.
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  Speaker 2: Notice those automatic negative thoughts that pop up, and then
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  Speaker 2: just try to challenge them, ask yourself, is this thought
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  Speaker 2: really true? Is there another way to look at this situation?
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  Speaker 1: That's great advice and it's a reminder that we all
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  Speaker 1: have the power to change our thoughts and ultimately to
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  Speaker 1: change our lives.
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  Speaker 2: That's the beauty of cognitive restructuring. It's about recognizing that
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  Speaker 2: we are not our thoughts. We are the thinkers of
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  Speaker 2: our thoughts, and we have the ability to choose which
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  Speaker 2: thoughts we want to focus on and which ones we
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  Speaker 2: want to let go of.
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  Speaker 1: So to everyone listening, think about an area in your
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  Speaker 1: life where you feel stuck, we're limited. How might cognitive
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  Speaker 1: restructuring help you shift your perspective and create positive change. Remember,
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  Speaker 1: you hold the power to reshape your thoughts and unlock
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  Speaker 1: new possibilities.
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  Speaker 3: Thank you for tuning in to this episode of the
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  Speaker 3: Deep Thoughts podcast. I hope you found insights and inspiration
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  Speaker 3: to take with you on your journey of self growth.
• 6:25
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• 6:37
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• 6:40
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