DevYou

Wow. I’ve received quite a few new readers recently. That’s wonderful. Welcome!

For those of you who just arrived here’s a quick index of all the posts in my recent series of articles on Cognitive Behavioral Therapy basics:

• I. What is CBT? - An explanation of what Cognitive Behavioral Therapy is.
• II. An Overview of Cognitive Distortions - An introduction to, and a list of, the ten cognitive distortions:
  • All or Nothing
  • Over-generalizing
  • Mental Filter
  • Disqualifying the Positive
  • Jumping to Conclusions
  • Magnification (or Catastrophizing)
  • Emotional Reasoning
  • Should Statements
  • Labeling
  • Personalization

The next articles in the series looked at each distortion and provided examples.

• III. Distortion One - All Or Nothing Thinking
• IV. Distortion Two - Over-generalizing
• V. Distortion Three - Mental Filter
• VI. Disqualifying the Positive
• VII. Jumping to Conclusions
• VIII. All Remaining Five Distortions! - In the interest of moving the series along at a reasonable pace, I bundled all five remaining distortions into one post: Magnification, Emotional Reasoning, Should Statements, Labeling, and Personalization.

Finally, as the ninth and last post of the basics series, I posted: IX. The Triple Column Technique, which teaches the fundamental technique for combatting cognitive distortions and the negative emotions they create.

Though the “basics” series is complete, there will be plenty more discussion of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy in the near future.

This morning, while waiting for a table at a busy restaurant, I read the local weekly newspaper to while away the time. I hadn’t brought the weekly with me; it just happened to be conveniently at hand when I arrived and got stuck in line. None of the articles were about subjects that interested me much, but it was a worthwhile way to spend a little time.

Why? Because I read each article with the following two questions in mind:

• What makes this article work?
• What would make this article better?

If you’d like to become a better writer, this simple exercise is incredibly instructive. Conveniently, material is always at hand. Think, for instance, of all those magazines in your dentist’s waiting room. What makes the articles tick? Take a look and see.

You can add more questions as you go, if you like. For example:

• How does the first sentence hook the reader?
• Is the writing clear? If so, how?
• Do you like author’s sense of rhythm?
• Is one article obviously better than another? If so, why?
• Why did the author (or editor) choose this particular title? Does it grab your attention? Why?

Newspapers tend not to be adequate-but-not-great choices for this exercise because newspaper articles are strictly forumlaic. Magazine feature articles and essays are much better.

Do you have little ways to sharpen your writing skills that you particularly like? Share them with your fellow readers in the comments.

Now that we’ve looked at all ten cognitive distortions, let’s look at what to do about them.

While it’s best to learn about Cognitive Behavioral Therapy techniques by reading Feeling Good or to actually talking to a cognitive behavioral therapist, I can outline the primary technique used to combat and ward off cognitive distortions: the Triple Column Technique. Feel free to try it out, and if you find it helpful, take a look at the book.

How To Do The Triple Column Technique

1. Grab a sheet of 8 1/2” x 11” paper and a pen or pencil.
2. Turn the paper so that the width is 11” (landscape).
3. Draw two lines from top to bottom so that the page is divided into three even columns.
4. Label the first column “Thoughts”, the second column “Distortions”, and the third “Rational Responses.”
5. Identify the negative feeling (or feelings) you’re experiencing (eg. sadness), and jot it down at the top of the page. Next to it, jot down a number between 1 and 10 that indicates how intensely you feel that emotion.
6. In the first column, try to write the exact thought you were thinking when the feeling arose. At first this can be a bit tricky, but with a little practice it’ll come more naturally. Typical thoughts might be: “I’m a failure”, “I always screw up”, “Why should I try? I’ll only fail.”
7. In the second column, write the distortions that underlie the thoughts you’ve identified. Remember to inspect each thought for each of the ten possible distortions. Note that some thoughts will actually contain multiple distortions.
8. When you’re done listing the distortions, use the third column to write rational replacement thoughts for the original distorted ones. For example: “I succeed at many things, even if I fail at a few now and then — just as everyone does. No one succeeds 100% of the time, and I recognize that I do succeed quite often.” replaces “I’m a failure.” The key here is to write rational responses to your irrational thoughts. Under the light of rational thought, distorted thoughts crumble, and the absence of distorted thoughts means the negative feelings they generate go away or never arise in the first place.
9. Now that you’ve completed the exercise, take a moment to see how you feel. Perhaps the feeling has dissipated. If not, perhaps it is less intense than before. How intense is it on the same 1 to 10 scale?

By the way, do not do this technique in your head. It’s essential that you do it on paper. There’s something about putting pen to paper that makes it truly effective.

Good luck!

Earlier this month I wrote an article called “What I Learned About Life From Watching Roger Federer”.

Roger Federer, as you may recall, is the number one male tennis player in the world — the Michael Jordan of tennis. In the article, I talked about how his economy of motion, equanimity in the face of difficulty, and deep consistency are inspirational and instructive in ways that transcend tennis and have relevancy in various aspects of life.

Ever since then, I’ve been giving thought to how one can “Federerize” one’s productivity, and I’ve coined a phrase for it: The Federer Swing.

What is the Federer Swing? It’s bringing the three qualities I mentioned above — economy of motion, equanimity in the face of difficulty, and deep consistency — to one’s productivity. Let’s concentrate on economy of motion.

The more I thought about economy of motion, the more I noticed how much wasted energy I expend while working. Now, as someone who follows the principles of GTD pretty closely, I thought I had a fairly streamlined workflow (eg. not keeping my file cabinet in a different room than my desk — what had I been thinking), but upon closer inspection, and with the economy of motion of Federer’s swing in mind, this turned out to be an area I can refactor significantly.

For example, while writing this post I notice I waste time and precious energy (even if just a bit — it all adds up) by checking the Preview habitually. I write blog posts in TextMate using Markdown syntax (which increases my economy of motion and efficiency), but then I reflexively hit ctrl-option-command-p every so often for no apparent reason — just a behavioral tic. True, sometimes I really do need to see the post-Markdown preview. For instance, when I’ve used a Markdown syntax I’m not used to, and I want to see if it worked. But, most of the previewing I’m doing is just pointless. An equivilant action on the tennis court might be twitching the racket in some habitual way just before swinging. If the twitch serves no purpose in the context at hand — hitting the ball — then the twitch isn’t economical motion and must go. Likewise, seeing a post preview a dozen times isn’t economical and must go.

For another example, let’s say I’m programming. And, let’s further say I need to look something up about a method I’m trying to use. I switch to my trusty browser to find information, but suddenly it dawns on me that I could take a minute to pop on over to Google Reader and see what’s new in my feeds. Just “a minute.” Now, obviously, stopping to check news feeds is counter-productive, since the goal at hand is programming, not feed surfing. But, let’s look at it in terms of the swing metaphor. When Federer dashes across the court to hit the ball, does he stop along the way to check his cell phone voicemail? Preposterous! Un-economical? Yes. In the extreme. And yet, I know for a fact I’ve stopped to check feeds in the middle of another task. Perhaps you have too.

All that said, I think there’s a danger to being too draconian or rigid about economy of motion. There are times where being a little loose, a little scattered, is advantageous. Sometimes wandering off the path for a bit leads to serendipitous discovery. But, generally speaking, when bearing down on a specific task, refining economy of motion is useful and desirable.

There’s nothing quite like the stressful agony of having your computer die, especially when it’s the sole repository of your important work or valuable files. Usually, it only takes one computer disaster to teach people how essential it is to maintain good backups, but why go through even that one torturous disaster unprepared? Get on the ball now — before calamity strikes!

Toward that end, I offer these two tips, both for Mac OS X users:

1. Clone Your Mac — Lifehacker has an excellent guide to making a bootable clone of your Mac. By following its advice, you’ll be able to boot from an external FireWire drive with all your data, settings, and applications ready to go should your Mac ever kick the bucket. Mirror Your Mac on a Bootable External Drive

2. Educate Yourself — Joe Kissel’s Take Control of Mac OS X Backups is essential reading. Says the blurb on the TakeControl website: “In the best-selling Take Control of Mac OS X Backups, backup expert Joe Kissell gives you the straightforward advice you need to go beyond the false security of copying a few files to CD. You’ll find an at-a-glance comparison of different backup strategies (low-cost, easy, safest) for backing up and restoring data, including digital photos and video projects. You’ll learn the pros and cons of each type of backup media, including hard disk, recordable disc, tape, and more; discover how to pick the best backup software for your needs; and find time-tested recommendations for setting up, testing, and maintaining backups, complete with instructions on how to restore after a crash. Important lessons you’ll learn along the way include the utility of having both a duplicate and an archive, the necessity of testing backups, and the role of offsite backups. Includes over 20 pages of step-by-step directions for Retrospect!” Take Control of Mac OS X Backups

Today’s post represents a change in format. Rather than examine the remaining five cognitive distortion on our list one-per-post, let’s pick up the pace and cover all five today. That way we can move on to the good stuff: doing something about them!

Ready? Let’s go!

• Magnification - Your thoughts magnify the negatives and minimize the positives of an event or situation.
• Emotional Reasoning - Your thoughts and decisions are based on how you feel rather than what’s really going on in reality.
• Should Statements - Your thoughts emphasize what you or circumstances should be, rather than how you or things actually are.
• Labeling - Your thoughts assign a specific name, or label, to you or someone else. This label is absolute and negative, such as: “I’m a failure.”
• Personalization Your thoughts assign all responsibility and causality to you personally. You assume that you directly caused events or circumstances though that’s not the case in reality and you actually had less direct control than you believe.

For a thorough examination of these distortions, please also see Feeling Good by David D. Burns.

In upcoming posts, we’ll learn how to detect these often-elusive but always detrimental cognitive distortions and how to deal with them.

The next cognitive distortion on the list is Jumping to Conclusions.

In this cognitive distortion, you arrive at conclusions (usually upsetting ones) prematurely. There are two forms this distortion can take:

• Mind Reading - In this form of Jumping to Conclusions, you decide you know what others are thinking. Assuming that others are thinking negative thoughts about you can lead to distress and depression.
• Fortune Telling - In this form, you make predictions about the future. Assuming that bad things are going to happen can also lead to distress and depression.

Example: Clyde’s Dinner Conversation

Clyde is having dinner with friends. As the conversation picks up speed, he grows ever quieter. His conversational style is slower and more thoughtful than the others at the table, and the conversation is moving so swiftly he finds it hard to keep up. He thinks: Everyone thinks I’m stupid. This is an example of the Mind Reading form of Jumping to Conclusions.

Example: The Magazine Rejection of Doom

Leslie has always wanted to try freelance writing. One day while reading a magazine, she thinks of a great article idea. She considers pitching the article to the magazine, but then changes her mind and thinks: They’ll just reject it. This is an example of the Fortune Teller form of Jumping to Conclusions.

In the next post, we’ll take a closer look at the next cognitive distortion on the list: Magnification.

Swiss tennis super-star Roger Federer is the Michael Jordan of tennis. He’s just amazingly good. Many say he’s the best tennis player of all time.

He’s ranked number one in the world — a rank he has held for more consecutive weeks than any other player in history — and is currently kicking ass once again at the US Open. His career history is jaw-dropping; just take a look at his achievements as detailed on the Roger Federer Wikipedia page.

Watching him play the other night, I began to wonder how the things that drive his success on the tennis court might be applied to our own lives even if the only time we touch a tennis ball might be to throw it for our pooch to fetch.

Calm and Focused Efficiency

When he plays, one of the most striking things is how little energy he seems to expend compared to his (usually doomed) opponent who sweats and breathes hard as he runs around the court, smashing the ball in an attempt to stop the juggernaut across the net. Federer is always calm, efficient, and focused in comparison.

Economy of Motion

Federer has amazing economy of motion. Everything he does on the court is precise and efficient — there’s no wasted energy or motion. Because all his actions are so perfect, and the economy of motion is so profound, he makes it all look easy, effortless.

Equanimity in the Face of Difficulty

Tennis is a deeply psychological game. To win, a player must be solidly “in the zone” — centered and determined. Once the mind goes off course because of self-doubt or negative emotions, it’s over — the critical edge needed to win is lost and defeat looms on the near horizon. Whereas many player’s psychological foundations shake and crumble when the match is going poorly for them, Federer is always in the zone, no matter what’s going on in the match.

Deep Consistency

Perhaps above all else, Federer is deeply consistent. No matter what the score is, no matter what’s going on with his opponent, no matter if the tide of the match is in his favor or not — he is always precisely consistent: how he swings the racket, how he runs, how he positions himself on the court and makes ready for the next shot.

I would love to have this kind of bring all these qualities to many aspects of my life, be they physical, mental, or in the realm of my productivity. Calm and focused efficiency, economy of motion, equanimity in the face of difficulty, and deep consistency.

What are some of the ways you bring these qualities to your life?

The next cognitive distortion on the list is Disqualifying the Positive. In this cognitive distortion, you reject the positive aspects of an event or situation, leaving only the negative. When a positive thought arises, it’s quickly knocked away by a negative one.

Example: Miranda’s Hair

Miranda and Phoebe are having a chat over coffee. Phoebe mentions how great Miranda’s hair looks. Miranda dismisses the comment and instead talks about how much weight she’s gained and how unhappy she is with the way she looks.

Example:

After coffee with Miranda, Phoebe is walking to her car when she runs into our old buddy Bob, the tennis player. She asks him how it’s going, and he looks sad and says, “Not well. My tennis game is in the toilet.” Phoebe says, “But, Bob, didn’t you just win that big match you were excited about?” Bob looks even more upset and says, “Yes, I did. But that doesn’t matter. I just played another match this weekend and I lost. I’m terrible.”

It seems Phoebe’s words are lost on both of her friends and their Disqualifying the Positive cognitive distortions.

In the next post, we’ll take a closer look at the next cognitive distortion on the list: Jumping to Conclusions.

Earlier this year, my luggage was horrifically mangled by the luggage transport machinery at the airport in Oakland, California. I was so in awe of the extent of the mutilation that I had to take a bunch of pictures of it. Up until the machine ripped it to shreds, this had been a fairly high quality REI travel bag, made of sturdy materials. Note how the strong fabric is torn, mangled and burned. Note also the metal strut that juts out of the side of the bag like a broken bone. In the close-up, you can see how intense the forces were in the machine by the way the end is ground down. Totally crazy! Click the thumbnails below for larger versions.

I offer these pictures because I think they’re amusing and astonishing, but there’s also a tie-in to the series of articles about cognitive distortions we’re in the midst of: An example of a Over-generalizing would be: “Bad things always happen to me!”