2026-08-23 · 21:30
10 Thinking Traps That Bend Reality — Cognitive Distortions, Part 1.
"Ten of the twenty classic cognitive distortions, explained one at a time by a registered psychologist: what each thinking habit is, why the brain does it, and what to notice instead. Part 1 of 2."
Timestamps
- 0:00Why your thoughts are not always facts
- 0:581. Black-and-white thinking
- 2:172. Personalisation
- 3:493. 'Should' statements
- 5:564. Catastrophising
- 7:395. Magnifying
- 10:296. Minimising
- 12:557. Mind reading
- 14:428. Fortune telling
- 16:329. Overgeneralisation
- 18:5110. Discounting the positive
- 19:40Where Part 2 picks up
Resources mentioned
Take-aways
01A thought is a hypothesis, not a verdict.
Each distortion is a habit of turning a guess into a fact. Noticing the habit is the whole skill — metacognition, thinking about your thinking.
02Your brain is doing its job too well.
Every trap here is a shortcut that once saved energy or kept you safe. The frame is normalising, never pathologising.
03Persistent distress is worth raising with a professional.
This is education, not treatment. If these patterns are persistent or affecting how you function, a GP or psychologist is the right next step.
This is general mental-health education, not personal clinical advice — it is no substitute for assessment by a registered health practitioner. If you need support now, contact Lifeline 13 11 14, call 000 in an emergency, or speak with your GP.