12 Irrational Thoughts Even the Smartest People Have

Irrational thoughts can be highly distressing and cause anxiety or paranoia. If they’re persistent, a mental health professional may be able to provide invaluable assistance.

Reasoned thinking can be learned and school systems should emphasize probabilistic thinking, scientific reasoning and strategies to avoid anchoring and confirmation biases as part of their curriculum.

1. You’re Not Good Enough

Cognitive distortions that cause you to believe your worth as a person depends on others’ opinions of you can be hard to shake, especially all-or-nothing thinking that puts too much weight on one event or circumstance as being indicative of future behavior.

This belief is unjustifiable as no external factor should dictate your self worth. Each one of us contributes something valuable and essential to this world.

Remember, too, that people excel at different things – just because someone excels at sports doesn’t make them any better overall! If this thought keeps popping into your mind, try reframing it as something more positive; seek help from mental health professionals for this process if necessary.

2. You Can’t Change

Many times, your own thoughts are what lead to feelings of unhappiness. For instance, if you tell yourself your sibling is constantly mean and never makes you laugh, chances are it’s likely these beliefs that cause distress for you.

Black-or-white thinking is another common cognitive distortion that leads to irrational beliefs. For example, you could mistakenly believe that since you earned only a B on a test this semester you failed at being an A student despite consistently earning all A’s before this grade period began.

Remind yourself that you cannot control everything; that doesn’t mean getting upset over it! Instead, look for positive aspects in situations you cannot alter; this will allow you to concentrate more on managing those areas within your control that make life simpler, making you happier while eliminating anxiety over those things beyond your reach.

3. You’re Not Worth It

As tempting as it may be to get angry when others don’t treat us the way we expect, remember that their actions have nothing to do with you; chances are, they are doing their best and might just need time and space to grow as people.

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Not every skill must be at your fingertips for you to feel worthwhile – in fact, it is impossible for anyone to excel in everything they attempt. If you are tone deaf for instance, chances are slim that music could ever become part of your career path.

Stop worrying about all of the things that could go wrong in your life; while any setback would certainly be unfortunate, it wouldn’t be catastrophic. Make time to take care of yourself and try new experiences; as well as treat yourself by spending money on yourself from time to time. You are worth investing time in taking good care of yourself as well.

4. You’re Not Special

Thinking you are unique can lead to feelings of narcissism or entitlement, as well as becoming an additional burden – should something happen tomorrow that required replacing you, it would take your employer about a month and most people won’t care as much as before.

Remember there are 7.6 billion other people out there and each can be replaced. So don’t put too much pressure on yourself to impress the world.

Once you take these steps, being knocked down won’t feel so devastating. Instead of dodging things that make you uncomfortable, give them a go and practice until they become easier – that way you may realize they are not as frightening after all and could even discover that you have more resilience than previously believed! Irrational beliefs could be hindering you from reaching your goals.

5. You’re Not Special Enough

People often demonstrate superior logical thinking on intelligence tests; however, unprompted, they tend to use cognitive shortcuts which prevent them from considering all their options. This makes sense from an evolutionary viewpoint: If faced with an aggressive sabre-toothed tiger charging towards you, you likely don’t want to spend too long debating whether jumping into a river or climbing up tree is the better course of action.

However, being a “cognitive miser” is a harmful habit that will hold back from reaching your goals. Instead of constantly worrying about potential failures that may come your way, try convincing yourself they would just be unfortunate but not catastrophic. That way you’ll stop over-analyzing and start living life more fully – because remember: one lifetime only! Take risks, experiment and stick with new activities until they become second nature to you.

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6. You’re Not Good Enough

Perfectionists often feel that life is against them, constantly questioning and second-guessing their skills and experiences. Even compliments from bosses or partners seem to send alarm bells ringing as you worry that “your work is subpar”. Jumping to conclusions prevents us from taking risks that could change lives for the better – all this perfectionism may mean.

At times it can be important to remind ourselves that our worth doesn’t depend on other people’s opinions of us, so seeking professional assistance from a therapist is one way to shift your thought patterns and start believing in yourself again. You have much to offer the world; embrace everything about you that makes you unique and celebrate all that makes you special – mistakes and failures do not define our worth; everyone deserves love and happiness in their lives.

7. You’re Not Special Enough

No one can achieve complete prominence at the macro level; even if you have won a U9 soccer trophy or received an impressive report card in seventh grade, chances are good you are still not standing out on an individual basis.

And that’s perfectly okay; we need other people for survival, and no one expects us to outshone them in all areas. Therefore, it is crucial that we attempt things that may initially seem hard or unpleasant but will ultimately be worthwhile; doing so also helps avoid cognitive biases such as anchoring, confirmation bias and myside bias; when your thinking clearly, these biases won’t influence you and instead you can build the life that suits your unique circumstances – perhaps becoming even more special in the process! Probably not though…

8. You’re Not Good Enough

People who believe they’re not good enough often engage in self-critical thoughts. These may include feeling bad after making a mistake or failing a test; and thinking other people are superior because they possess more skills or intelligence compared to them (known as catastrophizing). To combat this feeling of disillusionment with yourself and life itself, try disputing negative thoughts as soon as they arise – perhaps personify them by treating them like mean individuals that you must tell to stop being negative thoughts! To do this effectively.

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If you find it hard to believe you are good enough, remind yourself that you are an essential component of this world and no one can do what you do better than yourself. Furthermore, your many positive traits make you worthy of love and respect.

9. You’re Not Good Enough

Constantly believing you’re not good enough can stop you from trying new things and reaching for your goals, as well as serving as a sign that more needs to be done to boost your self-esteem and boost confidence levels.

Feeling unworthy often stems from unhealthy relationships or expectations set forth by others. Sara Matt struggled with believing she needed to please everyone for them to love and care about her, before finally realizing she must stop relying on others for her sense of worth and focus on making changes within herself instead.

Recognizing your not-good-enough thoughts as unproductive and unnecessary is key to combatting them. A therapist can assist in recognizing negative thoughts and finding more constructive approaches for approaching life changes, giving you courage and helping to transform yourself.

10. You’re Not Good Enough

Fear that you aren’t good enough can wreak havoc in your life, keeping you stuck in toxic relationships because you don’t believe you deserve better, or making you settle for lower-level work because that is all that is available to you.

Remember that you possess many positive qualities and play an essential role in this world. Your self worth does not depend on how successful or attractive others perceive you to be.

As it’s time to take control of your thoughts and begin believing more in yourself, take steps now to get out from under negativity’s shadow. Spend more time with people who support and appreciate you while celebrating your achievements; overcome feelings of inadequacy to live a healthier and happier lifestyle.