09/19/2025
🌓 Black-and-White Thinking
(also called All-or-Nothing Thinking - a common cognitive distortion)
When we slip into All or Nothing (black-and-white) thinking, we miss the beauty of the in-between.
What it sounds like:
- “I’m either a total success or a complete failure.”
- “They’re all good” or “they’re all bad.”
- “If I can’t do it perfectly, it’s not worth trying.”
- “They are with me or against me.”
How it impacts you:
💚 Feelings: Creates intense emotions like shame, anger, or anxiety.
🚶♀️ Behaviors: Can lead to giving up too soon, avoiding challenges, or lashing out.
💕 Relationships: Makes it hard to see nuance, which can fuel conflict, resentment, or unrealistic expectations.
How CBT helps:
We slow down and challenge the “all-or-nothing” lens, asking:
- “What’s the evidence for and against this thought?”
- What’s a more balanced way to see this situation?”
- We practice finding the “gray areas” and flexible perspectives.
Why it matters:
When you break free from black-and-white thinking, you:
- Feel steadier instead of swinging between extremes.
- Behave with more resilience (you don’t quit or blow up so quickly).
- Strengthen relationships by seeing others (and yourself) as whole, complex people instead of “all good” or “all bad.”
🧠 Small shifts in thinking can create big changes in feelings, behaviors and relationships.
💚 That’s the heart of CBT
We can help at FBCBT in NWA www.fbcbt.org
📱479-339-1238
Email - info@fbcbt.org
