Your brain runs mental shortcuts. Some help; others distort reality and drag your mood down with them.

These distortions are called thinking errors. They're automatic, which means they don't ask for permission before showing up. A bad test result becomes proof you're a failure. A glance from a friend becomes evidence they hate you. One ruined detail makes the whole day feel ruined. None of that is reality - but it feels completely real.

That feeling-as-fact quality is exactly what makes thinking errors so good at fuelling anxiety, self-doubt, and rumination. You don't question them because they arrive already dressed as truth.