Judgments

Do you ever find yourself making evaluations about situations, other people, yourself or the world? This might look like believing something to be true about a particular situation rather than interpreting that situation based on what we actually see or have evidence for.

This pattern of thinking which we call judgments is an unhelpful thinking style that every person may engage in from time to time. Unhelpful thinking styles can also become automatic habits that individuals may not realise they are engaging in. This becomes problematic when these thoughts cause an increase in anxiety and decrease in mood. When this happens regularly and consistently this may have a detrimental impact on an individual’s social, academic, occupational and personal life. It is common in anxiety disorders and depressive disorders that an individual’s symptoms may be maintained by unhelpful thinking styles such as judgements.

We are constantly exposed to new situations and people and making judgements about things may help us to quickly evaluate something new. This can be helpful however it is important to be aware that if our judgements become separated from what may be true and/or negatively bias we may need some help managing them.

If you are somebody who may notice yourself having thoughts involving judgements, there are ways in which we can begin to filter our thoughts. This can help us determine whether the thought is realistic and fair which may alleviate some distress that the thought caused. It can be helpful to write the thought down, then ask yourself:

I’m making an evaluation about the situation or person. It’s how I make sense of the world, but that doesn’t mean my judgements are always right or helpful. Is there another perspective?

When we are stressed or tired, we may be more prone to engaging in unhelpful thinking styles such as judgments. This can be managed by maintaining self-care strategies particularly during times of stress which may include, exercise, relaxation activities, stress relieving techniques and mindfulness.

When we begin to pay more attention to this pattern of thinking we can get better at stopping it in its tracks!