When I was a kid, I loved going to the Western Sizzlin’. It was an all-you-can-eat buffet with an epic salad bar. There were so many options, and I’d want them all because, back then, salad was just a vehicle for Ranch.

“Just a little bit of each one,” I’d tell myself, as the mountain on my plate steadily grew. While vegetables are good for you and all, no one needs that much salad, I promise. And no matter how full I’d inevitably be after cleaning my plate, I’d still go back for ice cream.

And then… I’d feel sick.

Today, we live in a veritable all-you-can-eat digital buffet, and we are consuming so much that we’re making ourselves ill.

You know how you can’t unsee something once it’s pointed out to you?

That’s what it’s like for me when it comes to cognitive distortions.

Cognitive distortions are common glitches in our thinking. Irrational, biased, or otherwise illogical thought processes. Mental traps that we easily and naturally fall into.

Given the last twenty years I’ve spent knee-deep in psychology, I can’t help but notice them.

She always does that. Nope. Always is a red flag.

What if…? Nope. What if is a worry.

I’m just… Just making an excuse.

They’re everywhere.