A wise man once said you should never listen to the internal thoughts you tell yourself when you are upset or depressed. The thinking behind that is that there are times when humans can be their own worst enemies. During these times, we sometimes tell ourselves things that can be unhealthy. One such negative is a cognitive distortion . Cognitive distortions are simply ways that our mind convinces us of something that isn't true. These inaccurate thoughts are usually used to reinforce negative thinking or emotions — telling ourselves things that sound rational and accurate, but only serve to keep us feeling bad about ourselves . Listed below are fifteen commonly used cognitive distortions. 1. Personalizing - The process of making everything about yourself. 2. Polarizing Thinking- The all or nothing process. You must be perfect, or you feel like a failure. 3. Generalizing - Come to a general conclusion about life from a single incident. 4. Fil