Have you ever felt like your own thoughts are your biggest enemy? There are times when you feel sad and heavy for no reason, when everything seems wrong, and when you think, "Nothing is going right for me." These negative thoughts can lead us to depression. Today, we're going to talk about a very practical treatment that can help you control these thoughts and improve your mental health .
What is Cognitive Therapy?
Simply put, Cognitive Therapy (CT) is a short-term psychological treatment based on the premise that the way we think directly affects our feelings and actions. Some people also call it "talking therapy." Instead of relying on a therapist for months or years, the patient is given the tools to analyze their own thoughts.
Imagine this story. Shanika is a high-ranking official in a bank. But due to problems at the company she worked for, she lost her job several times over the years. Each time she found another job, the constant stress completely destroyed her self-confidence. She began to think, "No matter how well paid I am or how high my position is, I will lose this job at any moment." This thought gradually dragged her into a state of depression.
After Shanika was introduced to Cognitive Therapy, she learned to look at her thoughts differently. Instead of thinking, "If I lose this job, no one else will hire me," she learned to think, "Okay, if I lose this job, I will look into the reasons why and prepare better for the next interview." By changing her thinking pattern in this way, she was able to change her feelings and her life.
In Cognitive Therapy, we focus on the thoughts that are coming to your mind in the present, rather than looking at past events or feelings about your parents. We examine ourselves to see how realistic those thoughts really are.
How does this work? What are our faulty thinking patterns?
In this therapy, we are taught to recognize common, negative thinking patterns (Thinking Errors or Cognitive Distortions) that affect our emotions. These are things that we do in our heads without realizing it. Here are some examples.
| Thinking Error | Simple example |
|---|---|
| All-or-Nothing Thinking | "If I can't get an A on this exam, I'm a complete failure." (But isn't a B or a C also a pass?) |
| Overgeneralization | "He didn't answer my call. He doesn't care about me." (Maybe he's busy, right?) |
| Forgetting the good things and thinking only about the bad things (Mental Filter) | Even if you receive 10 compliments throughout the day, you still think about a small criticism from one person all day long. |
| Thinking the worst will happen (Catastrophizing) | "I have a slight cough. This may be the beginning of a serious illness." |
Once you've identified these faulty thinking patterns, the next step is to challenge them. Practice asking yourself, "What evidence is there that this is true?" and "What evidence is there against this?"
Can it be more effective than medicine?
This is a question that many people have. In fact, numerous studies have found that Cognitive Therapy is a method that can be as effective as, and sometimes more effective than, medication for a variety of mental and physical problems, including depression, anxiety, eating disorders, and chronic pain.
Eight major studies have confirmed that, especially in relapsing conditions like depression, patients who undergo cognitive therapy have a 50% lower relapse rate than those who receive medication alone.
The message from this is, "You don't have to be dependent on medication for the rest of your life . You can learn skills to control your thoughts and reduce or eliminate the need for medication."
But this does not mean that you should immediately stop taking the medication your doctor has prescribed. Never make such decisions alone. Always talk to your doctor and follow his or her advice. For some patients, a combination of medication and Cognitive Therapy may provide the best results.
How to become your own 'therapist'?
The beautiful thing about Cognitive Therapy is that it turns you into your own 'therapist.' There are very simple, practical exercises used for this.
Writing Exercise
This is a very powerful method.
1. Write down a negative thought that comes to your mind. (Example: "I didn't speak well in the meeting today.")
2. Think about what you are afraid of and ask yourself:
- "What's the worst that could happen?"
- "What's the best thing that could happen?"
3. Now look at these two extremes and write down the more realistic outcome that is likely to happen. (Example: "There may have been a small glitch in the meeting, but it won't cost me my job. This is a lesson learned so I can prepare better next time.")
At first, you will only remember bad thoughts. But as you gradually do this exercise, you will realize how many things you think about unnecessarily and incorrectly. Over time, you will be able to look at your successes, your good things, and look at life in a balanced way.
Take-Home Message
- Cognitive Therapy (CT) is a practical treatment method that helps you change your thought patterns and improve your emotions and mental health.
- This focuses on how you think in the present rather than the past.
- CT can be more effective than medication for conditions like depression and anxiety, and can reduce the recurrence of the disease.
- Never stop or change your medication without medical advice. Always consult your doctor .
- CT teaches you how to manage your thoughts, making you your own 'therapist.' If you're interested in this, talk to a psychiatrist or counselor about it.
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