[5 Conversations With Christ] Anxiety and WorrySample

More Errors

Yesterday I gave you three of the cognitive errors from The Feeling Good Handbook. Here are the rest:

4. Disqualifying the positive. We take the positive and think, “Anybody could have done that.” We dismiss our talents, gifts, and successes. “Great job!” “No, I could have done better.” “Your business was a success!” “I just got lucky.” “You are great parent!” “No, I got easygoing kids.” We diminish the positives, and this creates anxiety in our life. 

5. Jumping to conclusions. This is also known as mind reading. Oh, they didn’t text right back is that they’re mad at me. I know exactly what they’re thinking; they’re upset with me; they don’t like me. Mind reading creates anxiety in our lives. 

6. Magnification or minimization. We take one thing and we blow it up huge; it will be a catastrophe. I'll think, “If I mess up one sermon, my career could be over tomorrow.” We make everything so bad. We had one fight, and think we’re headed for divorce. I make one mistake in business and think I’ll be ruined or even homeless.

7. Emotional reasoning. This is thinking, “I feel it; therefore, it must be true.” What you feel is not always true; the facts of your faith are true. Jesus is with you. If you are experiencing the ugly twin sister of depression, I know you feel the dark clouds and believe that the sun will never shine. But the sun will shine again. Jesus loves you. He died for you. Jesus is true and real; that buzz in your heart is not real, the peace of Christ is. 

8. Personalization. You assume that you are to blame, and it causes anxiety or stress. My kid is acting out, so it must be because I was a bad mom or a bad dad. Something happened at the office, or in another area of life; well, it must be my fault. 

It is very helpful to understand worry affects our whole self. We can ask, “What’s the cognitive error here? What is going on physically or emotionally?”