Distorted Thinking That We All Do When We're Not At Our Best - "Overgeneralizations"

When you over-generalize, you make broad conclusions based on very little evidence. A rejection for a date means that you will be forever single. If you felt queasy on a plane trip once, you will never again fly. If you felt anxious once when you were home alone, you will always feel the need to have company. One bad experience means that whenever you're in a similar situation the results will always be negative.

This distortion leads to a very restrictive life. You tend to make absolute statements like "No one will ever love me" or "I'll never be able to trust anyone again" or "I will always be unhappy" or "I will never find a job that pays the bills." The key words that you use when you are over-generalizing are: every, all, none, never, always, everybody and nobody. Since what we think about comes about and what we focus on becomes our reality, there is a self-fulfilling prophecy at work that blocks the good from coming into your life.

What area of your life or what current or past situation may be causing you angst due to over-generalizing? What is another way to look at it?

Next Week: Distorted Thinking - Mindreading