ADHD and Anxiety Tips: Why Black and White Thinking is Ruining your Life
Channel: Panic Attack Recovery
Date: 16/02/2018

We will show you why black and white thinking aka all or nothing thinking is ruining your life and how you can fix this right now.

Often anxiety and panic attack sufferers think in extremes. 
Here are some examples of thoughts:
“Either I get over my panic attacks, or I’ll never be successful”
“My panic attacks make me a completely inadequate person.”

Of course these thoughts are untrue and you may not have these explicit thoughts.  However, they can be assumptions operating in the background of your mind, in one way or another.

Often when we get emotional or want to make a point, we will simplify things into black and white terms but reality doesn’t fit neatly into such extremes.

Such thoughts are an example of a cognitive distortion known as “black and white thinking,” also known as “all or nothing thinking.” 

The distortion of black and white thinking is defined as thinking of things in absolute terms, like “always”, “every” or “never”.  
The good news is that you do not have to feel trapped: there is something you can do to get past this tendency.

The key is recognizing that reality is not black and white.  Reality is made up of shades of gray.  

Want proof? 
Just think of the last time you did something and demanded perfection of yourself.  You may have gotten frustrated when things didn’t work out perfectly.  

If circumstances are not black and white when you demand perfection in life, why believe black and white concepts apply when they concern your anxiety and panic attacks? 

If you have a hard time believing this, just do some research on any topic, you’ll discover that most things in the world are not nearly as black and white as they might seem at first. 

This is one of the lessons that many anxiety recoverers have come to learn. 

These suggestions can be very helpful for developing more realistic thinking that is not black in white.

And, being more realistic can be very helpful in reframing the thoughts that are driving your anxiety and panic.  

At Panic Attack Recovery we are former sufferers teaching others how to be proactive and take charge of their anxiety, panic attacks, ADHD, and mental health. We provide a comprehensive approach so that you can heal, continue in the direction of self-improvement and enjoy the life you desire! Those interested in self-help in general can also benefit from our information. We'd love to have you subscribe and join us.

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