Like so many things I read, I find cognitive therapy to be basically codified common sense. The same thing applies to project management, money management, negotiation, ad infinitum. The market for books on the subjects makes me reconsider if these things are in face common sense.
Still, I find a lot of excellent stuff when I read about cognitive therapy, and this latest post over at Lifehacker has distilled most of cognitive therapy down into some sort of 100-proof cognitive moonshine. Go there to read the detail, but in summary:
- Stop jumping to conclusions.
- Don’t dramatize.
- Don’t invent rules.
- Avoid stereotyping or labeling people or situations.
- Quit being a perfectionist.
- Don’t over-generalize.
- Don’t take things so personally.
- Don’t assume your emotions are trustworthy.
- Don’t let life get you down. Keep practicing being optimistic.
- Don’t hang on to the past. This is my most important suggestion of all: let go and move on.
If we could all apply these principles the world would be one hell of a dull place, but I definitely know a few people who could do with consuming a wee bit of this kool-aid. Yours truly included.
