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.
End of Session Four
The aim of this session was to understand the use of self-criticism and self-compassion in your life.
Self-criticism can seem very normal and very natural, but that is not to say it is a healthy or adaptive way of speaking to yourself. Tuning out of self-critical talk is an important step towards letting go of perfectionism.
Session 5 will cover the topic of procrastination.
Take home message
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It is important to become aware of what you are thinking because when you have a negative thought about yourself, such as 'I am a failure' or 'I am not good enough', as this has a strong impact on the way you feel.
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The inner critical voice and the inner compassionate voice can both be used as motivators, but the critical voice will have a negative long-term impact on motivation.
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The compassionate voice will get stronger with practice, and the self-critical voice will appear less believable.
Before you go...
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