Cognition

 What is cognition?

Cognition is a perception, sensation, idea, or intuition of thoughts. As people go through life, there can be lots of thoughts that are harmful to our lives. We must choose what we think. Deciding what to think is important because our brains take what we think literally. If we tell ourselves we are the stupidest person in the room, our brain will believe this is true. 

How have I seen negative ideas impact my life?

I have seen a negative impact because of my thoughts in my life a lot. one example is from when I played basketball; I used to tell myself I was not as good as other people. My brain took this as reality, and I lost my confidence. I saw this negatively affect how I played, and in turn, I did not make my middle school basketball team. That year I played in the city league, and my coach was the high school coach as well. He invited me to come to early morning practice with his team, and I was able to learn and grow. That season I saw a lot of improvement in my skill and my mental attitude. The following school year, I tried out for my middle school team again, this time with the mental thoughts that I was good and I could make the team. I made the team and kept learning and growing. Another way I have seen this in my life is in school. I have always struggled in school due to some learning difficulties I have. On the other hand, my siblings are really smart, and they do not have to work really hard to do well in school. With this idea in my head, it led to a lot of cognitive distortions. 

What are the different types of cognitive distortions?

If we look at the idea that I struggle in school, we can see every one of these distortions. 

1. All or nothing - I often find myself looking and saying things like "it is ALL my fault" or "If I fail this test, I will fail in school." 
2. Overgeneralization - my thoughts like this usually come as something about how most people hate me or think I am stupid.
3. Mental filter - This is the idea that people only look at the dirt and grime in life. I can see things like the lower grade I get compared to my siblings and think that I am the only one that struggles. 
4. Discounting positives - I can see this as I ignore my good scores and say they were just luck. 
5. Jumping to conclusions - I have already mentioned a sentence that touches on this, and it is that I am the only one that struggles. However, everyone has their own struggles and trials they are going through.
6. Magnification and minimization - I can see this in my life when I think that I am not doing well in school at all. I minimize how well I am doing.
7. Emotional reasoning – I have seen this when I say that my feelings are understandable because other people are doing much better than me. 
8.  Should statements - These statements are shaming and degrading. They create a feeling of guilt and worthlessness. I saw this as I thought that I should be as good as my siblings.
9. Labeling - people believe the labels put on them and often change how they act to fit the labels better. 
10. Blame - This last one is one everyone does. There is self-blame and other blame. I can see this in my life as I blame myself for not being as bright as others. 

Now, that was a lot of negativity. That is what cognitive distortions do. However, to counteract these thoughts, you have to develop a complete truth and believe it more than the negative one. It is very important to be aware of your thoughts.