How can we make the perfect balance between positive and negative thoughts?

That was a trick question. The way to a healthy mental experience is not to control our thoughts.

If we try to manipulate our thoughts, we're being dishonest with ourselves,

not only that, but we'd also be fighting an exhausting

battle since the mind has a pretty strong will of its own. Welcome back to

savvy psychologist. I'm your host Dr. Jade Wu.

Every week I'll help you meet life's challenges

with evidence-based research, a sympathetic ear,

and zero judgment.

And today we're going to talk about how to avoid common thinking traps, and this

will be part one of a two-part series. So trying to put all of our inner experiences in rose-colored boxes often either doesn't work or doesn't last very long.

The truth is, our thoughts are not always positive and they shouldn't be. To help us navigate the world and make sound

decisions we need a variety of thoughts, not just positive ones. Right next to the Pepi, I can totally do a triathlon. We also need the sobering,

I won't be able to unless I start training. The mind likes to worry, criticize, complain, doubt, regret, downplay, and generally bring us back down to earth.

It sometimes even goes too far and keeps us mired and muddy unhelpful swamps.

And in those moments, we could use a positive lift.

So here's a better question to ask yourself. How can I gain better

awareness of the tricks my thoughts play and how do I get out of the unhelpful

thinking traps for better mental health and more successful living?

Well, let's take a look at some common thinking traps, how to recognize them,

and how to get yourself out of those loops. So Thinking Trap Number One,

this is one of my favorites because we all do this. Black and White thinking.

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