What are cognitive distortions?
They are habitual ways of reading a situation that make it feel more dangerous, more personal, or more permanent than the evidence supports. The thought feels completely true in the moment. The unexamined pattern behind it is the problem.
This app is an educational aid, not treatment, and it does not replace a clinician. If the check-in is too hard to start, that is a reason to talk with a person, not a reason to push harder alone.
If you are in crisis, call or text 988.
Why the brain does this
For most of human history, assuming the worst kept people alive. A false alarm cost a little energy. A missed alarm could cost everything. You still carry that alarm. The rustling grass is now an unread text, or a pause before someone answers. The tiger almost never shows up.
Why they can hit harder with ADHD
Missed deadlines and forgotten details give “I always mess this up” real-seeming evidence. One small slip can become a full story in seconds. Catching the story is one place you can break the loop without changing your neurology.
How you unlearn them
Catch the thought, name the pattern, rewrite it to match the evidence, and repeat until it is automatic. Early on it is clumsy, like learning to ride a bicycle. Later you notice “wait, that is mind reading” in real time. Eventually the accurate reading shows up first.
The ten patterns
Most people recognize three or four as their defaults. Catastrophizing, mind reading, fortune telling, all-or-nothing thinking, and emotional reasoning show up often in anxious adults.
All-or-nothing thinking
Black-and-white
Seeing things in extremes. If it is not perfect, it counts as a total failure.
“I missed one part of my routine, so the whole week is ruined.”
Where is the middle ground? What would a 60% version of this look like?
Overgeneralization
Taking one event as a never-ending pattern. Words like always, never, every time.
“I was late again. I am always late. I will never be reliable.”
Is this one moment, or every moment? Name a time it went differently.
Mental filter
Dwelling on a single negative detail until the whole picture looks dark.
“Five compliments and one correction. You remember the correction.”
What else is in the picture that the filter is hiding?
Discounting the positive
Brushing off good facts so they do not count. "That does not matter."
“They only said it was good because they felt sorry for me.”
If a friend had this evidence, would you let them dismiss it?
Jumping to conclusions
Mind reading / fortune telling
Assuming you know what someone thinks, or predicting a grim future, without evidence.
“She did not reply for an hour. She is annoyed with me. I know this presentation will go badly.”
What do you actually know, versus what you are guessing?
Magnification or minimizing
Catastrophizing
Blowing problems up, or shrinking your strengths until they disappear.
“A typo in an email becomes a termination meeting.”
On a 0–10 scale, how big is this in a month? What stays true either way?
Emotional reasoning
Treating a feeling as a fact. "I feel it, so it must be true."
“I feel like a fraud, so I must be one.”
Feelings are real. Are they proof? What would be true even if the feeling quieted?
Should statements
Harsh rules about how you or others must be. Should, must, have to.
“I should be able to do this without reminders like everyone else.”
Swap "should" for "I would like" or "it would help if." What changes?
Labeling
Turning one action into a total identity. "I am a failure." "They are a jerk."
“I forgot the appointment. I am a mess.”
Name the specific action, not the person. What is a more precise sentence?
Personalization and blame
Taking too much blame for things you do not control, or none of the blame you do.
“The meeting went badly. It must have been something I did.”
What part is yours, and what part is not? Split it honestly.
This app is an educational aid, not treatment, and it does not replace a clinician. If the check-in is too hard to start, that is a reason to talk with a person, not a reason to push harder alone.
Longer version on the Celium site
If you are in crisis, call or text 988.