Cognitive restructuring
'Cognition' is a word used to denote a thought or belief, and 'restructuring' involves challenging a cognition by looking at the evidence for or against it. The basic idea behind cognitive restructuring is that thoughts themselves are not facts; you need to consider whether the thoughts you are having are true and to consider whether there are any other ways to thinking about a particular situation. At first this can be a real challenge: we often believe what we think and don't question our own thoughts. However, often our thinking is biased, and with perfectionism it can be biased towards thinking too negatively and harshly about yourself.
Taking a closer look at beliefs
We all hold beliefs about the 'right' way that tasks should be completed and the 'right' way to behave. For example, you may think that the 'right' way to complete this program is session by session, thoroughly and without skipping any pages.
Our beliefs about 'right' and 'wrong' concern both simple everyday tasks- making the bed, preparing for the day- and more complex activities, such as having a successful relationship.
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Behind such beliefs are often other beliefs concerning the 'facts' of a situation. For example, you may believe that if you leave the breakfast dishes out for a couple of hours then it will attract cockroaches. Or, you may hold the view that the most successful relationships are those where the couple never argue.
When you're thinking of making changes to your personal standards, it is important to know how much of your beliefs are factual and how much is hearsay or 'fiction'.
Having beliefs is by no means a bad thing, they help us navigate the world and give us mental 'shortcuts' when making decisions.
The problem is our beliefs are typically developed from a young age, so as adults we rarely question them. You might not have ever thought about why you believe something, or how true the information is that you base you beliefs on, or how it influences your daily activities.
This program has already talked about some of the beliefs which are common in perfectionism (e.g. I need to do a task perfectly if I am going to try at all). The next step is to look at some of the facts which are most relevant to perfectionists.
This session will look at some common misconceptions underlying perfectionism and provide the equipment to test out a few less-than-intuitive facts that might just change your perception on how you work.