You beat depression thought by thought; that’s the only way to deal with cognitive distortions – one thought a time.  A cognitive distortion is a twisted thought that leads to a distorted emotion.  As each twisted thought makes its appearance, you deal with it.  Every time the voice of depression pummels you with another twisted thought, you expose it to the light of day and reject it.

As you learn how to deal with your cognitive distortions, be careful that you don’t get into an argument with your mind, because it’s impossible to win the argument.  Arguing is the formula for frustration and exhaustion.  If you start arguing, it will suck the energy from your mental veins, and you will psychologically wither.  The reason is simple.  When you argue with the negative internal critic, you have the wrong focus.  You are focusing on negative things, and so they expand further into your mind.

There is a difference between arguing with the voice of depression and exposing its twisted message to the light of day.  You don’t ever need to argue with your mind, but you do need to look at the message and see if it’s the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth.  No argument is necessary to do that.  Just expose your dark depressing thoughts to the light, and it will be immediately obvious just how twisted those thoughts are.  So don’t argue.  Let the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but the truth set you free. 

The second part of escaping from the tyranny of your cognitive distortions is to switch your mind to a positive focus.  In the twentieth century a cigarette company attempted to manipulate people into smoking their brand of cigarettes with a clever jingle that said, “I would rather fight than switch”.  When you are dealing with cognitive distortions, it’s time to turn the jingle around so it says, “I would rather switch than fight.”  That’s exactly what you need to do when depression starts shouting in your mind.  Rather than fight, it’s time to switch your focus in a positive direction.  Chapter thirteen will show you how to radically shift your focus to the most powerful force in the universe, God’s love.

That’s how you reject your cognitive distortions.  You defeat them thought by thought by first exposing them to the light of day, and then you switch your focus in a positive direction.

Remember, if you want to have a mind free from depression, nobody can stop you.

Excerpt from :

Zero Tolerance To Negative Thinking : Good-by Depression - Hello Positive Mind

David J Abbott M.D.

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