Cognitive Distortions Worksheets (7+)

This page displays cognitive distortions worksheets.

Some of these worksheets have been created by us while some of them have been curated from reputable third-party websites. 

Cognitive distortions worksheets help individuals identify their faulty thinking patterns and replace their irrational thoughts with logical, positive thoughts.

These worksheets help individuals rationalize their thoughts to prevent the negative effects of negative thinking patterns.

Cognitive Distortions Worksheet- Cognitive Distortions

Cognitive distortions are the faults in thinking patterns that make an individual perceive things in an irrational and unjustified way.

Negative thinking patterns or the errors in thinking can lead to the improper perception of reality, resulting in the formation of negative schemas which then leads to the emotional dysfunction and poor well-being of an individual.

Cognitive distortions alter the thinking pattern o the individual and make him think negatively in each situation.

Negative thoughts affect both the body and the mind. The negative effects of negative thoughts due to cognitive distortions are adverse.

Therefore one must work on identifying his cognitive distortions and work on them to prevent their negative effects on one’s body and mind.

When an individual experiences a cognitive distortion, he focuses more on the negatives than on the positives.

As a result of this, the worst does happen, not because it was meant to happen but because the individual was thinking only about the negative parts of the situation.

Thus, the individual must learn to avoid cognitive distortions and focus on positives rather than negatives.

Cognitive Distortions Worksheet- Identifying Cognitive Distortions 

  Cognitive distortions, also known as thinking errors, are the errors or faults in our thinking pattern that cause adverse outcomes like anxiety, stress, anger and so forth.

Identification of one’s thinking patterns is very essential as one’s thinking pattern affects his behavior, feelings, thoughts, and emotions.

So it is important to identify errors in one’s thinking but for that, it is important to know about thinking errors.

All or nothing thinking, mental filter, fortune telling, mind reading, overgeneralization, disqualifying the positive and personalization are the most common errors in thinking.

Cognitive Distortions Worksheet- Developing Positive Thinking 

Positive thinking is characterized by a positive thinking style and expectations for good things to happen in the future.

Positive thoughts help in challenging cognitive distortions, negative thoughts, emotions, and feelings.

They are a very effective tool for helping individuals boost their self-esteem, eradicate distressing feelings and managing unpleasant emotions such as anxiety, anger, stress and so forth.

Positive thought helps individuals gain trust in themselves, their efforts and decisions which in turn increases their self-worth, confidence in self and helps them tackle the discomforting situation wisely. 

All you have to do is to challenge your irrational, negative thoughts by speaking up positive, encouraging and motivating words or sentences to yourself while standing in front of the mirror.

Cognitive Distortions Worksheet- Twenty Questions to Help You Challenge Negative Thoughts

Negative thoughts are experienced by everybody.

The ability to challenge these thoughts and rationalize them can help an individual prevent their negative effects.

The worksheet “twenty questions to help you challenge negative thoughts” is an extensive worksheet that explains in detail, the ways by which an individual can challenge his negative thoughts.

The worksheet also enables an individual to acknowledge the outcomes of negative thinking and identify the errors he is making in thinking so he could work on them to eliminate their negative effects.

This worksheet is an effective source of challenging negative thoughts and is a great guide for learning about negative thoughts in detail.

You can download it in the form of pdf through this link.

Cognitive Distortions Worksheet- Decatastrophizing

The word “decatastrophizing” is derived from the word “catastrophizing”, a type of cognitive distortion in which an individual thinks the worst of a specific situation.

Decatastrophizing is a cognitive restructuring technique by which unreasonable, illogical cognitions of an individual are rationalized.

The worksheet “decatastrophizing” is a great resource for challenging the irrational thoughts of an individual.

The worksheets allow an individual to imagine the worst of a situation and the worst thing it could do to him.

Then he is asked about how long could the event affect you.

In this way, the individual is prepared for the upcoming event and allowed to brainstorm various ways by which he could cope with the situation if it really did happen.

this worksheet can be downloaded in pdf form through the link. 

Cognitive Distortions Worksheet- Dysfunctional Analysis

The site positivepsychology.com presents to the people the dysfunctional analysis.

The dysfunctional analysis gives a detailed recount of dysfunctional thinking.

It consists of 10 pages and briefly explains each topic with the selection of best and most appropriate words. 

This worksheet explains how automatic thoughts and distorted thinking patterns emerge.

Then it explains the features of dysfunctional assumptions.

Some of these characteristics include evidence of fewer assumptions that are over-generalized, involving extreme emotions and irrational.

The characteristics are followed by the themes for dysfunctional thinking in which achievement, acceptance, and control are included.

These irrational thinking patterns are most common in people and can be identified with the help of this worksheet.

Then at the last, the worksheet suggests some techniques by which people can decatastrophize.

The downward arrow technique is a kind of technique in which irrational thoughts are questioned in a downward direction until the point when the individual himself runs out of any justification.

Some other ways of challenging the irrational, dysfunctional thoughts are also mentioned in the worksheet.

As a whole, this worksheet is a great source for understanding the concept of dysfunctional thinking and how they emerge.

It also informs people about new techniques for challenging dysfunctional thoughts.  

The worksheet is available on the site positivepsychology.com and can be downloaded in the form of pdf through the Psycho Delights website.

Cognitive Distortions Worksheet- Thinking Errors Worksheet 

Errors in thinking are a common thing. Everybody experiences thinking errors and it is not an unusual thing, but the outcomes of cognitive distortions are unpleasant and uncomfortable.

Therefore it is necessary to identify one’s thinking patterns and replace the cognitive distortions with rational thoughts. 

A reputable website, psychpoint, presents thinking errors worksheet.

This worksheet is an excellent resource for replacing cognitive distortions with balancing thoughts.

This worksheet not only enables an individual to balance their thinking errors but also gives an overview of thinking errors to clear their concepts about each thinking error.

The worksheet is easily accessible on the internet and can be downloaded in the pdf form from this link.

Other mental health worksheets

Below are a list of other mental health worksheets which may interest you:

Gratitude Worksheets

Grief Worksheets

Group Therapy Worksheets

Healthy Relationship Worksheets

I Statement Worksheets

Interpersonal Effectiveness Worksheets

Marriage Counseling Worksheets

This page provided you with some of the most effective cognitive distortions worksheets to help you identify and deal with irrational, negative thoughts using various strategies.

Some of these worksheets were created by us while some of them were curated from reputable third-party websites. 

If you have any questions or queries regarding these worksheets, let us know through your comments.

We will be pleased to help you in this regard.

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