हो तिमिर कितना भी गहरा;
हो रोशनी पर लाख पहरा;
सूर्य को उगना पड़ेगा;
फूल को खिलना पड़ेगा।।

हो समय कितना भी भारी;
हमने ना उम्मीद हारी;
दर्द को झुकना पड़ेगा;
रंज को रूकना पड़ेगा।।

सब थके है, सब अकेले;
लेकिन फिर आएंगे मेले;
साथ ही लड़ना पड़ेगा;
साथ ही चलना पड़ेगा।।

~~  रामधारी सिंह 'दिनकर ~~ 

Cognitive distortion (Part - 04)

 10. Personalization and blame:

Personalization occurs when you hold yourself personally responsible for an event that isn’t entirely under your control. When a woman received a note that her child was having difficulties at school, she told herself, “This shows what a bad mother I am,” instead of trying to pinpoint the cause of the problem so that she could be helpful to her child. When another woman’s husband beat her, she told herself, “If only I were better in bed, he wouldn’t beat me.” Personalization leads to guilt, shame, and feelings of inadequacy.

Some people do the opposite. They blame other people or their circumstances for their problems, and they overlook ways that they might be contributing to the problem: “The reason my marriage is so lousy is because my spouse is totally unreasonable.” Blame usually doesn’t work very well because other people will resent being scapegoated and they will just toss the blame right back in your lap. It’s like the game of hot potato – no one wants to get stuck with it.

Cognitive distortion (Part - 03)

 8. Should statements: 

You tell yourself that things should be the way you hoped or expected them to be. After playing a difficult piece on the piano, a gifted pianist told herself, “I shouldn’t have made so many mistakes.” This made her feel so disgusted that she quit practicing for several days. “Musts,” “oughts” and “have tos” are similar offenders.

“Should statements” that are directed against yourself lead to guilt and frustration. Should statements that are directed against other people or the world in general lead to anger and frustration: “He shouldn’t be so stubborn and argumentative.”

Many people try to motivate themselves with should and shouldn’ts, as if they were delinquents who had to be punished before they could be expected to do anything. “I shouldn’t eat that doughnut.” This usually doesn’t work because all these should and musts make you feel rebellious and you get the urge to do just the opposite. Dr. Albert Ellis has called this “musterbation.” I call it the “shouldy” approach to life.

9. Labeling: 

Labeling is an extreme form of all-or-nothing thinking. Instead of saying “I made a mistake,” you attach a negative label to yourself: “I’m a loser.” You might also label yourself “a fool” or “a failure” or “a jerk.” Labeling is quite irrational because you are not the same as what you do. Human beings exist, but “fools,” “losers,” and “jerks” do not. These labels are just useless abstractions that lead to anger, anxiety, frustration, and low self-esteem.

You may also label others. When someone does something that rubs you the wrong way, you may tell yourself: “He’s an S.O.B.” Then you feel that the problem is with that person’s “character” or “essence” instead of with their thinking or behavior. You see them as totally bad. This makes you feel hostile and hopeless about improving things and leaves little room for constructive communication.

Cognitive distortion (Part - 02)

 3. Mental Filter: 

You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively, so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that discolors a beaker of water. Example: You receive many positive comments about your presentation to a group of associates at work, but one of them says something mildly critical. You obsess about his reaction for days and ignore all the positive feedback.

4. Discounting the Positive: 

You reject positive experiences by insisting they "don't count." If you do a good job, you may tell yourself that it wasn’t good enough or that anyone could have done as well. Discounting the positive takes the joy out of life and makes you feel inadequate and unrewarded.

5. Jumping to Conclusions: 

You interpret things negatively when there are no facts to support your conclusion.

#Mind #Reading: Without checking it out, you arbitrarily conclude that someone is reacting negatively to you.#Fortune-#telling: You predict that things will turn out badly. Before a test you may tell yourself, “I’m really going to blow it. What if I flunk?” If you’re depressed you may tell yourself, “I’ll never get better.”

6. Magnification:

You exaggerate the importance of your problems and shortcomings, or you minimize the importance of your desirable qualities. This is also called the “binocular trick.”

7. Emotional Reasoning:

You assume that your negative emotions necessarily reflect the way things really are: “I feel terrified about going on airplanes. It must be very dangerous to fly.” Or “I feel guilty. I must be a rotten person.” Or “I feel angry. This proves I’m being treated unfairly.” Or “I feel so inferior. This means I’m a second-rate person.” Or “I feel hopeless. I must really be hopeless.”

Cognitive distortion (Part - 01)

क्या नकारात्मक सोच या विचार क्डिप्रेशन/उदासी का कारण बन सकते है ?? ( नकारात्मक सोच - cognitive distortion )

उत्तर - बिलकुल उदासी/depression का कारण बन सकते है !

Here is in the post - "#Overgeneralisation" is there which is a example of faulty thinking- may lead to negative emotional state

(एक बार कुछ ख़राब हुआ तो इसका मतलब है ख़राब ही होगा या हर कोई कोई ख़राब ही होगा )

Overgeneralisation" a cognitive distortion that results in some pretty significant errors in thinking and has the potential to cause us a lot of unnecessary emotional pain.

.....When we draw a faulty conclusion about something based on just one example, we are #overgeneralising.

You see a single negative event, such as a romantic rejection or a career reversal, as a never-ending pattern of defeat by using words such as “always” or “never” when you think about it.

What is cognitive distortion ??

cognitive distortion is an exaggerated or irrational thought pattern involved in the onset and perpetuation of psychopathological states, especially those more influenced by psychosocial factors, such as #depression and anxiety !

Cognitive distortions are thoughts that cause individuals to perceive reality inaccurately. According to the cognitive model of Beck, a negative outlook on reality, sometimes called negative schemas (or schemata), is a factor in symptoms of emotional dysfunction and poorer subjective wellbeing.

Specifically, negative thinking patterns reinforce negative emotions and thoughts.

1. All-or-Nothing Thinking:

You see things in black-or-white categories. If a situation falls short of perfect, you see it as a total failure. When a young woman on a diet ate a spoonful of ice cream, she told herself, “I’ve blown my diet completely.” This thought upset her so much that she gobbled down an entire quart of ice cream!

2. Over generalization:

Overgeneralisation" a cognitive distortion that results in some pretty significant errors in thinking and has the potential to cause us a lot of unnecessary emotional pain.

.....When we draw a faulty conclusion about something based on just one example, we are #overgeneralising.

You see a single negative event, such as a romantic rejection or a career reversal, as a never-ending pattern of defeat by using words such as “always” or “never” when you think about it.

3. Mental Filter:

You pick out a single negative detail and dwell on it exclusively, so that your vision of all reality becomes darkened, like the drop of ink that discolors a beaker of water.

Incredible women

If you choose a working woman, you have to accept that she can not manage the house full time.

If you choose a housewife who can take care of and manage the household completely, you need to accept that she does not make money.

If you choose a submissive woman, you must accept that she depends on you.

If you choose to be with brave woman, you must accept that she is stubborn and has her own thoughts.

If you choose a beautiful woman, you have to accept the expenses as well.

If you choose to be with a great woman, you must also accept that she is hard and firm.

No woman is perfect.

A woman has her own "good thing" that defines who she is and makes her unique.

The strength of women comes from the fact that psychology cannot explain us. Men can be analyzed, women...merely adored."

— Oscar Wilde

Women’s day and mental health

 For centuries , the differences between men & women have been socially defined and distorted through  a lens of #Sexism  in which men assumed superiority over women & maintained it through domination. this has led to underestimating the role a women plays  in the dyad of  human existence.

when a #woman becomes mentally ill , services are sought infrequently and late. Rather she is blamed for the illness, The mentally ill woman may be socially  ostracized and abandoned by her husband and her own family. Hence,  being a "woman" and being "Mentally ill" is a dual curse.

Emotional Acceptance

One thing we begin to realise on our journey towards wholeness is that we need to start acknowledging, accepting and dare I say embracing our feelings. Because without all of our feelings both the ones we label negative, such as sadness, shame, fear and anger - we cannot feel the positive feelings, such as joy, contentment, excitement and love either! Because we are disconnected from them all, we can’t just disconnect from some, they all disappear!

If we haven't been shown how to ride the waves and regulate our own emotions, we tend to stick to dry land and become fearful of sensations within the body and of showing them to anybody else too. To be able to feel we needed modelling of that behaviour around us and to be told our feelings are valid and ok. We are ok for showing them, for being upset, angry, fearful, sad. However, when we are not allowed to be that way growing up, we feel that it’s just not acceptable, and we are not acceptable and so we push our emotions inside. We develop an almost phobic avoidance of our feelings and believe that they and we are just too much.

You are not too much, nor are your feelings and there are some people out there (those who are in touch and able to ride the waves and manage their feelings) who can and will listen and be able to hear yours!! Try not to pick the people who are avoidant of emotions themselves. That will be a pattern repeat of what happened to you in your childhood, you won’t feel acknowledged, seen and validated, which is so often what part of us so deeply wants. Instead, find someone who’s in touch with themselves, their history and shares their feelings, that way they will truly be able to hear yours too. It’s a great start when we start being accepted and even loved for all that we feel, whether positive or what we’ve labelled negative. Because on our trauma dissolving journey’s I’m sorry to say we can’t be happy and cheerful all the time!! Often it’s a bumpy ride when we are attempting to dissolve the old. But you can do it with support and encouragement, we all need a little bit of help along the way though.

Personality disorders by clusters

One of the most interesting aspects of Psychiatry.

Personality, is defined as an individual’s characteristic style of behaving, thinking, and feeling”.

A personality trait is applicable to all, However, a trait doesn't necessarily amount to a disorder. But, the way we think, feel and behave and our unique individuality have significant contribution in our mental health as in our psychopathology(Mental illness).

Some individuals are more prone to mental illness and psychopathology because of their characteristics and personality traits, whereas some others experience higher level of mental health and wellbeing because of their personality traits and characters.

Therefore, it seems that some individuals are more susceptible to mental illness, thereby threatening their mental health.

Personality traits which affect mental health can be found in each individual. The intensity or weakness of these traits is different in individuals and these differences are responsible for mental states to be healthy or unhealthy.

Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD)

 

Seasonal affective disorder* is a form of depression also known as SAD, seasonal depression or winter depression. In the Diagnostic Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), this disorder is identified as a type of depression – Major Depressive Disorder with Seasonal Pattern.

People with SAD experience mood changes and symptoms similar to depression. The symptoms usually occur during the fall and winter months when there is less sunlight and usually improve with the arrival of spring.

The most difficult months for people are #January and #February.

SAD is more than just “winter blues.” The symptoms can be distressing and overwhelming and can interfere with daily functioning. However, it can be treated.

It is more common among women than men.

SAD has been linked to a biochemical imbalance in the brain prompted by shorter daylight hours and less sunlight in winter. As seasons change, people experience a shift in their biological internal clock or circadian rhythm that can cause them to be out of step with their daily schedule.

SAD is more common in people living far from the equator where there are fewer daylight hours in the winter.

Common symptoms of SAD include fatigue, even with too much sleep, and weight gain associated with overeating and carbohydrate cravings.

SAD symptoms can vary from mild to severe and can include many symptoms similar to major depression.