Most of us have at least a vague awareness that our thinking or our mindset has an impact on our psychological well-being.

Well, the other day I was asked how can a particular cognitive distortion like

all or nothing thinking have such a global impact on a person. Okay that's my

psychologist summarization of the question, but you get what I mean.

So today I'm going to answer that question, and if it's at all helpful to you, I'll focus on other

cotton distortions in the future so that you can be

more aware of them in your lives and not allow negative thinking to weigh you down.

Welcome back to savvy psychologist. I'm your host Dr. Monica Johnson. Every week on this show,

I'll help you face life challenges with evidence-based approaches, a sympathetic ear, and zero judgment.

All-or-nothing thinking, also known as black and white thinking,

or dichotomous thinking, is a cognitive distortion

where individuals see situations, experiences, or outcomes in extreme binary terms.

So it's either all good or all bad with no middle ground.

This kind of thinking can have several negative impacts

on a person's mental health and behavior.

Here are some of the key negative consequences.

The first consequence I'm going to mention

is increased anxiety and stress.

All or nothing thinking often sets

unrealistic standards, leading to chronic anxiety and stress when these

standards are not met. For example, believing that if I don't do this perfectly, I'm a failure creates immense pressure to always perform

flawlessly, which is both unrealistic and stressful.

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