Recognize Self-Defeating Thoughts
In the introductory video to Thinking Better, you learned that your thoughts can significantly influence your experience of pain. Some thoughts can be self-defeating, while others are helpful.
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Self-defeating thoughts often trigger a cycle of negative consequences, including heightened negative emotions, additional harmful thoughts, and an increased perception of pain. In contrast, helpful thoughts can neutralize negative emotions, foster productive thinking, and make managing chronic pain more effective.
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Types of Self-Defeating Thoughts
In this learning activity, you will explore how to recognize self-defeating thoughts. Let’s begin by reviewing their key characteristics.
Here is an example of a self-defeating thought. "I'll never get better".
Alarming thoughts may make you feel afraid, worried, alone, helpless, hopeless, angry, depressed, or panicked. Alarming thoughts often contain emotional words and ideas involving danger, hopelessness, isolation, abandonment, or failure.
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Regarding "I'll never get better," this thought might trigger sadness and fear. The thought of never seeing improvement is depressing and scary. It sounds like there is no hope of anything good in the future. This thought may make some people feel angry. It seems unfair to think you will never feel better.