ALL-OR-NOTHING THINKING: You see things in black-and-white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failure.
Every time you feel depressed about something, try to identify a corresponding negative thought you had just prior to and during the depression. Because these thoughts have actually created your bad m...
Perfection' is man's ultimate illusion. It simply doesn't exist in the universe.... If you are a perfectionist, you are guaranteed to be a loser in whatever you do.
The secret of successful treatment is not to become a perfect, shining star or to learn to be in complete control of your feelings. These strategies are doomed to failure. In contrast, when you accept...
Ask people for suggestions on how to improve, and if they're going to reject you for being imperfect, let them do it and get it over with.
When you confront the monster you
Some encouraging studies suggest that the answer may be yes. Dr. Isaac Marks, from the Institute of Psychiatry at the University of London, has shown that many individuals can overcome anxiety disorde...
In my experience the most crucial predictor of recovery is a persistent willingness to exert some effort to help yourself. Given this attitude, you will succeed.
Absolutes do not exist in this universe. If you try to force your experiences into absolute categories, you will be constantly depressed because your perceptions will not conform to reality. You will...
Golden opportunity to learn to cope with criticism and anger effectively. This came as a complete surprise to me; I hadn't realized what good fortune I had. In addition to urging me to use cognitive t...
Table 3–1. Definitions of Cognitive Distortions 1. ALL-OR-NOTHING THINKING: You see things in black-and-white categories. If your performance falls short of perfect, you see yourself as a total failur...
Much everyday anger results when we confuse our own personal wants with general moral codes.
It would be nice if I could make my wife happy now because she seems upset. I can ask what she's upset about and see if there might be a way I could help. Or instead of I shouldn't have eaten the ice...
In addition, we still do not really know how the brain creates emotions. We do not know why some people are more prone to negative thinking and gloomy moods throughout their lives, whereas others seem...
For example, when a loved one dies, you validly think, I lost him (or her), and I will miss the companionship and love we shared. The feelings such a thought creates are tender, realistic, and desirab...
One of the most important tasks of any therapist is to help depressed patients find the courage and determination to resist and fight these hopeless feelings. This battle is often fierce and rarely ea...
Many research studies, as well as my own clinical experience, have confirmed that severely depressed patients who appear very biologically depressed with lots of physical symptoms often respond rapidl...
It can work the other way as well. I have worked with many depressed patients who were still stuck after I had tried numerous psychotherapeutic interventions. When I prescribed an antidepressant medic...
In fact, you may even find that there are many times when it was more enjoyable to be alone, and you might discover that the highest ratings you received when you were alone were equal to or higher th...