When it comes to mental health, there are certain thought biases that depressed people are more likely to engage in than others. 

In this episode, I cover different types of thought biases and strategies to fight back against them to avoid unnecessary suffering.

Labeling - When you assign traits to yourself or others without considering the evidence. 

Strategy: Stop and ask yourself whether or not the evidence actually supports that conclusion. Remember our lives can never be reduced to a singular moment or label.

Mind Reading - When someone assumes that they know what another person is thinking, even when there's no evidence to support that assumption.

Strategy: Try and remind yourself that it’s impossible ever to know what another person is thinking unless we ask them. Find a trusted loved one. Tell them you’re down, and ask them about what they’re thinking instead of assuming. 

Overgeneralization - When someone takes one experience and applies it to all other situations. If something didn't work out once, then you might assume that nothing will ever work out. 

Strategy: Notice if you’re using words like always or never or thinking in broad strokes, assuming nothing will change or work out. Remember that nothing in life ever repeats itself exactly and tomorrow will be different than today. 

Emotional Reasoning - When we assume everything that we feel is true and an accurate reflection of what is happening in our life. 

Strategy: Remember thoughts and emotions are not facts. Avoid assuming everything you think or feel is true.

In this episode, you’ll also hear:

• Understanding thought biases and the halo effect 
• How depression exacerbates thought biases 
• Recognizing thoughts and emotions are simply information

Must-listen moments: 

[00:04:57] Labels are good for boxes. You are not a box. You're an endlessly complicated human being that deserves an endlessly complicated and beautiful description.

[00:08:20] Tomorrow might be really hard, yes, but it will not be exactly like today, because that's just not how the universe works. Allow the mystery to provide you hope. 

[00:10:41] Emotions are important, no doubt about it, so are our thoughts. But when we allow our emotions and our thoughts to be the only factors that influence our mood, we set ourselves up for unnecessary suffering.

Thank you for listening! 

Depression, Anxiety, and Other Things We Don’t Want to Talk About - https://www.amazon.com/Depression-Anxiety-Other-Things-About/dp/1400221323

Ryan Casey Waller

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