Unhelpful Thinking Styles

Mind reading refers to making assumptions about what someone else is thinking and often jumping to negative conclusions. Example: They are finding the conversation about my pain boring.

Is this a thinking style that you identify with and can you think of an example of when you have thought in this way?

You might find it helpful to write the answers to the following questions below:

• What evidence do I have that they are thinking this?
• What other factors may be affecting their reactions?
​​​​​​​• What would I think if I was in their shoes?

Catastrophising involves irrationally assuming the worst possible outcome will occur. Example: The pain is only going to get worse.

Is this a thinking style that you identify with and can you think of an example of when you have thought in this way?

You might find it helpful to write the answers to the following questions below:

• What are some alternative explanations?
• What is the best case scenario?
• What is the most likely explanation?
• What is a more helpful outlook?

This thinking style involves placing high expectations on yourself or others based on rules of things that should/must or should not/must not happen. Example: I should be able to do this without any help.

Is this a thinking style that you identify with and can you think of an example of when you have thought in this way?

You might find it helpful to write the answers to the following questions below:

• Is this rule necessary?
• What is the impact of this expectation on your emotions and behaviours?
• Can you replace the should or must with a could or would like to?
​​​​​​​• What is a more realistic outlook?

This thinking style involves assigning labels to yourself or others based on the outcome of one small event. Example: You miss one day of physiotherapy exercises and label yourself a failure.

Is this a thinking style that you identify with and can you think of an example of when you have thought in this way?

You might find it helpful to write the answers to the following questions below:

• What is the context surrounding the situation?
• Does this label hold true for all situations?
​​​​​​​• Has there been a time when this label has not been appropriate?

All or nothing thinking is a tendency to categorise things into extremes e.g., good vs bad or success vs failure. Example: I must walk 5 kilometres every day or it is not worth going on a walk at all.

Is this a thinking style that you identify with and can you think of an example of when you have thought in this way?

You might find it helpful to write the answers to the following questions below:

• Is it better to do a little or nothing at all?
• Am I being unnecessarily hard on myself?

Emotional reasoning is when you interpret your emotions as truth and make conclusions based on them without considering the facts. Example: I feel hopeless so I am never going to be able to manage my pain.

Is this a thinking style that you identify with and can you think of an example of when you have thought in this way?

You might find it helpful to write the answers to the following questions below:

• If I was feeling a different emotion how might my perspective change?
​​​​​​​• Have I felt this way before and if so how long did it last?

Mental filtering is when you focus your attention on negative information that is inline with your beliefs but are dismissive of other relevant and positive information. Example: My pain is bad today, nothing will make it better.

Is this a thinking style that you identify with and can you think of an example of when you have thought in this way?

You might find it helpful to write the answers to the following questions below:

• Is there any other information that I need to consider?
• Am I filtering out positive information?
​​​​​​​• How does this information change your perspective?

Personalisation involves assuming that everything is about or is connected to you, often resulting in you blaming yourself for things that are out of your control. Example: You experience a flare up and conclude that it has been caused by your actions without considering other alternative explanations.

Is this a thinking style that you identify with and can you think of an example of when you have thought in this way?

You might find it helpful to write the answers to the following questions below:

• What other factors might have had an impact on the situation?