How we think directly impacts our communication …

The experience of one human being connecting with another human being is called “communication.”

All of our human interactions depend on our ability to communicate effectively with other human beings.

Nothing impacts our communication with others more than how we think.

It’s a myth that most people who see a clinical counselor do so because they have a mental illness. Many who work with a competent therapist do so because of a highly common problem: that of being plagued by patterns of irrational thinking.

Most of us will spend more time experiencing irrational thoughts running through our minds than fully rational ones, and it can be common to develop deeply habituated patterns of irrational thinking called “cognitive distortions,” simply meaning distorted cognition or distorted patterns of thinking. Can you imagine, then, how having habits of cognitive distortions can directly impact our communication with others?

Below is a chart of the 10 most common cognitive distortions, along with an explanation and example of each. Read through the chart, and for each cognitive distortion consider how such irrational thinking translates into what you would communicate:

There’s a simple conclusion: To improve your effectiveness of communication with others, you need to improve the rationality of your thinking. Replacing patterns and habits of cognitive distortions with rational thinking will enable better connections with people.

If you wrestle with habits of irrational thinking, let me encourage you to see a competent clinical counselor who is skilled in cognitive-behavioral therapy. A competent therapist can help you identify patterns or habits of irrational thought in your own thinking and how to dehabituate from those habits to patterns of more rational thinking.

Scotty