Patrick's Corner

Jumping to Conclusions

We've all done this at some point or another: You're having an argument with someone and they accuse you of jumping to conclusions. I've done it. "Oh, I was unable to come up with a solution to the problem at work. Everybody must hate me."

Catastrophizing happens a lot when we jump to conclusions. When something happens, we automatically conclude things about the event and about ourselves. We make conclusions not only about ourselves, but about how other people view us. "They must think I'm..." (Insert horrible quality here)

This happens sometimes in relationships when one partner (or both) is insecure. Accusations can get thrown around and one person is left scratching their head wondering why the other, based on no evidence, leveled an accusation. This is not a fun place to be in, is it? So before jumping to conclusions, ask yourself, "Is this real or is this my insecurity calling the shots?"

Here is a video that helps explain Jumping to Conclusions

Magnification/Minimization

I love this quote by Ann Bradford because magnification can be LOUD and sometimes we just have to sit down and tell our brains to shut up! Magnification and minimization are two miserable peas in a pod.

You make a speech and the speech goes well. But you accidentally mixed two words up. Uh oh. You keep thinking about that slip up and worrying that other people noticed and they're waiting in the hallway for you so they can laugh at you and call you all sorts of mean names.

But when you ask people what they thought, they said, "It was a fine speech my friend!"

Now let's take the opposite of that, minimization. This is very close to disqualifying the positive. Your speech blew people away. People congratulated you up and down. Well, who cares, right? You accidentally slipped up with one fact. That's the real breaking news!

When we do this to ourselves, we distort reality. Our anxieties tell us that certain things are horrible and awful. So the best way to combat this is to say, "Well, nobody is perfect, everybody makes mistakes. I'm allowed to make mistakes and still deliver an awesome-" (whatever it is).

This site is for educational purposes only and is not a substitute for professional advice. If you believe you need more help, please seek counseling with a qualified professional counselor.