Key Takeaways
- Cognitive reframing is a tool that helps you identify, evaluate, and change unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs.
- It can help you manage mental health conditions and contribute to overall well-being through improved relationships, resilience, and problem-solving skills.
- Therapists may use cognitive reframing with therapy methods like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), but you can also practice it independently.
Have you ever felt like negative thoughts or self-doubt were holding you back from feeling your best? Sometimes, you may not even know what caused you to feel that way.
Enter cognitive reframing. It’s a process that allows people to identify unhelpful thought patterns and learn to interpret events in more balanced and productive ways.
Therapists often use cognitive reframing to help people manage mental health symptoms, but there are plenty of practical ways to apply cognitive reframing to your everyday life.
What is cognitive reframing?
Cognitive reframing is a method that can help you identify, evaluate, and change unhelpful thought patterns. Commonly used in therapeutic approaches like cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), cognitive reframing helps people shift their mindset so they can view a person, place, or situation from a different perspective.
It’s based on the idea that your interpretation of an event, rather than the actual event, determines your emotional reaction. So learning to reframe your perspective can lead to healthier outcomes. Cognitive reframing can be an effective tool for addressing and overcoming cognitive distortions, which are irrational thoughts that shape how you see yourself, others, and the world.
For example, let’s say you’re rushing to get ready in the morning and you lock yourself out of the house. Instead of calling yourself names or wondering why you always make these silly mistakes, reframe the way you view the situation. Remind yourself that your thoughts and actions don’t define who you are, and consider how you can learn from the experience.
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What can cognitive reframing help with?
Cognitive reframing is used to treat many mental health conditions, including depression, anxiety disorders, eating disorders, substance use disorders, and post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).
It’s also an effective way to help improve your overall mental health and well-being. For example, cognitive reframing can help you manage stress, strengthen relationships, and improve problem-solving skills. It’s also a useful tool for reducing inflexible thoughts and considering a more resilient perspective on whatever life throws at you.
How cognitive reframing works
Cognitive reframing involves several steps to help people challenge and reframe unhelpful or negative thoughts. One way to think about it is “catch it, check it, change it.”
1. Identify your thoughts
The process starts with identifying unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs. These thoughts often involve cognitive distortions, like overgeneralization, labeling, catastrophizing, and black-and-white thinking.
2. Dispute your thoughts
Once you identify an unhelpful thought, ask yourself if there’s any evidence to support it. Some questions to consider include:
- Am I jumping to conclusions?
- Is there another way of looking at the situation?
- How would someone else think about the situation?
- Is my concern based more on how I feel than the facts of the situation?
3. Replace your thoughts
And finally, the goal is to replace unbalanced or unhelpful thoughts with more balanced and empowering alternatives. For example, instead of “If I fail this job interview, I’ll never succeed in my career” consider “I’ll prepare for the job interview so that I can feel confident that I’m presenting the best version of me.”
How and when to use cognitive reframing
Cognitive reframing can help you reflect on negative thoughts and turn them into an opportunity for growth and healing. Many people practice it with the support of a therapist, but you can also use it independently during daily life.
If you want to practice cognitive reframing, try:
- Identifying your cognitive distortions: Learning about different types of cognitive distortions can help you recognize these patterns in your own life. For example, do you find that you often jump to conclusions or make overgeneralizations?
- Practicing the Socratic method: This tool involves a series of questions to help you identify irrational thoughts and gain deeper insight into your assumptions and beliefs.
- Completing a thought record: If you find it difficult to interpret your thoughts, consider using a thought record to document your thoughts and feelings about a situation. Journaling is another way to express your thoughts, and it can also help you improve your self-awareness, decision-making, and emotional expression.
- Practicing mindfulness: Mindfulness is a practice that encourages you to be fully present in the current moment. When you practice mindfulness, you focus solely on what you’re doing without self-judgment or distractions. It can help reduce stress and distress and allow you to show more compassion for yourself.
- Being patient: Learning to reframe your perspective is a process that requires time, patience, and understanding. It’s not always easy to recognize negative thoughts, but learning about your thought patterns and being open to change are steps in the right direction.
Once you learn how to use cognitive reframing, you can apply it to many areas of your life. For example, research has found that cognitive reframing helps people create healthy behavior change with exercise and dietary choices. It can also help reduce burnout among practitioners and mitigate feelings of stress and anxiety among caregivers of people with dementia.
Find care with Rula
Cognitive reframing is often used in therapy to help change the way people think, feel, and act. By learning to identify and address unhelpful thought patterns and beliefs, you can create the space to manage your mental health symptoms and improve your overall quality of life.
At Rula, we’re here to help you find an in-network therapist who can help you navigate whatever challenging thoughts are impacting your health. Our teletherapy platform makes it easy to find a provider who has availability to see you from the comfort of your home as soon as tomorrow.
About the author
Alex Bachert
Alex Bachert is a freelance copywriter and mental health advocate. Since earning her masters degree in public health, she has focused her career on creating informative content that empowers people to prioritize their health and well-being. Alex has partnered with organizations like Ro, WellTheory, and Firsthand, and her work has been recognized by the Digital Health Association. When she’s not writing about mental health, Alex is usually playing pickleball, meeting with her local board of health, or enjoying time with her three kids.
Rula's editorial process
Rula's editorial team is on a mission to make science-backed mental health insights accessible and practical for every person seeking to better understand or improve mental wellness. Rula’s clinical leadership team and other expert providers contribute to all published content, offering guidance on themes and insights based on their firsthand experience in the field. Every piece of content is thoroughly reviewed by a clinician before publishing.
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