Mind Pitfalls

We often take one for the other, doing it unconsciously, and most importantly - irrationally. Ignoring statistics and common sense, we give in to irrational fear, follow the majority and believe in the opinion of an authoritative person.

In everyday life, we are faced with this everywhere: for example, grandmothers pies are always tastier than yours, cooked exactly according to the same recipe. Or, for example, playing a board game, we shake a dice in our hands for a long time in the hope of a better result. In general, players often succumb to this effect - if you have tails on a coin five times, then they are sure that heads will fall out for the sixth time, and rely on it.

Such traps of consciousness are called cognitive distortions, they arise as a result of patterned thinking. Sample behavior performs a protective function: prevents brain overload, ensuring quick decision-making. And, as a rule, this decision is, if not critical, then irrational.

Procrastination. This is a deliberate postponement of cases for later. It happens even then (and especially then) when we need to do some work before a certain time or to do the job we do not like. Procrastination is often found together with the phenomenon of fixation: I will make this call as soon as I finish my coffee. This is a self-deception, which does not play in your favor - you spend more energy and time, spending important resources to solve the problem. If you feel that you are evading a certain task, it is worth considering whether this is not a defense against fatigue. Relax, switch to another activity and tune in to complete the task. Break large task into smaller ones, mark the time frame for each item and proceed, noting the performance of each subtask.

Professional deformation. Today, we are as productive as possible at work, constantly developing and improving our skills, but sometimes it is too hard. Without having some rest, we literally begin to live by work and transfer working moments to personal life. The brain is too tired to switch, or it even loses this skill. We begin to use professional terminology in everyday life, we transfer the methods of negotiation to personal conversations with relatives, we are looking for “system errors” in everyday life. To avoid this distortion, let us rest, slow down, find a hobby and learn how to switch.

In order not to succumb to patterns and get rid of cognitive distortions, it is necessary to develop critical thinking, always be sensible in assessing the situation and being attentive both to trifles and to substantial arguments. Keep your brain in good shape - it will help improve the quality of life.