Image courtesy of hello I’m Nic @ Unsplash
It’s thought that we have approximately 70,000 thoughts a day and a huge number of those are negative and repetitive stuff that we carry forward day to day.
We all have that voice in our head, that can sometimes feel like it never stops. The incessant chatter and if you’re experiencing Imposter Syndrome then it might be causing you to have some thinking errors. If you believe that you aren’t capable of the job you’re doing, if you feel like you don’t fit into the places you’re in or you’re constantly second guessing your ability, then it’s highly likely that you may have these thinking errors running through your daily thoughts.
Imagine your brain is like a computer and some of the thoughts you’re having a like a pesky virus. Now in order to protect our computers we may install virus software and it’s scanning for any potential risk and then it makes sure it stops the virus in it’s tracks. Well imagine that you can do the same with the thinking errors!
So what are these thinking errors?
1. All or nothing. This is black and white thinking where there are no shades of grey. Here you don’t allow yourself to see any alternative thought.
Examples – I’m rubbish with numbers” “this needs to be perfect” “I’ll never get the hang of this”
2. Labelling. This is when we attach labels to ourselves. Instead of labelling the behaviour you label yourself as a person.
Examples – “I can’t believe I said that, I’m so stupid” “I can’t do this, I’m useless” “I got it wrong, I’m pathetic”
3. I should/I must/I can’t. This is setting unrealistic standards for ourselves. This is piling on additional pressure that if questioned you would realise is unnecessary.
Examples – “ I should be able to juggle everything” “I must know everything otherwise I’m not doing my job properly” “I can’t handle this”
4. Magnification. This is when we blow things out of proportion and the response is too drastic for the situation.
Examples – “I dropped a ball today, I just can’t do this job” “I messed it up so I’m going to get sacked” “I’m not good enough for this job so I may as well go and get a job in Asda (or replace it with any supermarket)”
5. Predicting. This is when we think we are psychic and we can predict future outcomes (negative of course!). What we need to realise is the majority of the things we predict won’t actually happen.
Examples – “I don’t know why I’m bothering as I bet no-one is going to buy my new product/service” “I will be rubbish at presenting and everyone will be bored or think I’m crap”
6. Discounting. This is where we minimise the positives and focus on the negatives. This can create a black cloud over a situation that does not warrant you to focus on the negatives.
Examples – “they only gave the job to me as I bet there was no one else that was suitable” “The interview went ok but I’m so embarrassed as I said a really stupid answer to one of the questions”
So which ones do you resonate with? You may find that you have a particular favourite one or you may find that you use a mixture of all 6. The truth is we all make these thinking errors from time to time but it’s when they’re frequent, that we need to address it. You see if you’re activating one or more of these thinking errors on a day to day basis then it undoubtedly will be causing you stress and when you’re stressed then you lose your ability to critical think, which affects the quality of your work.
So tackling these thinking errors is key to your wellbeing, productivity and self worth. The best way to tackle these thinking errors is to firstly be aware that you’re in one of the thinking errors and stop it in it’s tracks. Then it’s time to question it. Here are some questions to help you tackle these thinking errors:
Q. How helpful is this thought?
Q. What impact is this thinking having on me?
Q. Is this thinking actually true? Is there any evidence to prove it wrong?
Q. How can I look at this differently?
Q. What is a more positive, empowering thought?
And finally remember a very important thing - you don’t have to believe everything you think. In fact, you definitely don’t want to believe everything you think, especially when it’s trying to make you doubt yourself!