How do your thoughts impact your mood?

The work of Aaron Beck (Beck, 1976) and David Burns (Burns, 2012) has led to a lot of discussion about "cognitive distortions", you might notice that I also I refer to them as "unhelpful thinking habits" However you name it, the overarching idea is that there are many ways that our thinking processes (conscious or not) have a large impact on our mood. Bellow you will find a list of some of the common cognitive distortions that can reinforce our feelings of anxiety, depression, and hopelessness.

I've found that examining one's unhelpful thinking habits not only brings insight but also allows us to begin challenging these deeply ingrained beliefs and thoughts. Through identifying and challenging these thoughts, we can begin to create new, helpful, ways of thinking that will lead us to feeling less stuck and more in control of our own mood state.