Unhelpful thinking habits, known as cognitive distortions, significantly impact our mood and perception. One common distortion is mental filtering (also called selective abstraction), where you focus only on negative details while ignoring positive aspects of a situation. This can distort your view of reality, magnify negative experiences, and contribute to anxiety and depression, as well as lower self-esteem. Psychotherapist Aaron Beck first noted these systematic errors in thinking patterns. But there's good news: you can learn to manage mental filtering. Techniques derived from cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) and mindfulness practices help you recognize and challenge distorted thoughts, reframe them, examine the evidence for and against your thoughts, and build a more balanced perspective. Join us as we explore how to identify mental filtering in your own life and apply evidence-based strategies to foster a clearer, more positive outlook.

Works Cited

Anthony. "Challenging Automatic Negative Thoughts." Mind My Peelings, 5 June 2020.

"Excerpts from 'A Brief History of Aaron T. Beck, MD, and Cognitive Behavior Therapy'." Provided Source Material, n.d.

Hofmann, Stefan G., and Angelina F. Gómez. "Mindfulness-Based Interventions for Anxiety and Depression." Psychiatric Clinics of North America, vol. 40, no. 4, 18 Sept. 2017, pp. 739–749. PMC, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5679245/.

"Mental Filtering: What it Is and Why it’s Important to Manage It." James Fitzgerald Therapy PLLC, n.d.

Ok-Catch4142. "A cool guide to Mental filters." Reddit, r/coolguides, 14 Apr. 2024.

"Selective abstraction." Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, Accessed 15 May 2024.

stuarttan. "The Science Behind Mental Filtering: Understanding Its Psychological Impact." Stuart Tan, 28 Nov. 2024.

VA Mental Health. "Fixing Cognitive Distortions." VA Mental Health, July 2013.

Vallejo, Michael. "Mental Filter: A Cognitive Distortion." Mental Health Center Kids, 7 Sept. 2022.

Whalley, Matthew. "Cognitive Distortions: Unhelpful Thinking Habits." Psychology Tools, 18 Mar. 2019, https://www.psychologytools.com/articles/unhelpful-thinking-styles-cognitive-distortions-in-cbt/.

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