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What Is Mental Filtering? Exposing This Cognitive Distortion 0

Mental filtering is one of the most common cognitive distortions, impacting your outlook by causing a hyperfocus on the negative while ignoring the positive.

If you've ever allowed one small piece of constructive criticism to overshadow lots of positive feedback for a job well done, that’s an example of the mental filter cognitive distortion.

Over time, these negative thought patterns undermine your self-esteem, relationships, and career path, while boosting stress, anxiety, and even depression.

By learning to recognize mental filtering and using tools to address it, you can gradually reshape your mindset toward a more balanced and realistic view.

Let’s explore what mental filtering is, its effects, and practical ways to counteract it.

It Hurts: How Abuse by Wives and Girlfriends Affects Male Partners 0

When we talk about partner abuse or domestic violence, the focus is usually on women as victims and men as perpetrators. In reality, partner abuse can happen in any gender configuration and direction.

What is it like for men who are abused by women? Do they just take it in stride with no physical, emotional, or psychological impact? Or, do the repercussions of their experience reverberate across their lives? How does abuse of men by women impact those abused husbands and boyfriends?

Male abuse targets find little support in the media or society. Men tend to be isolated by man-law: be strong, don’t talk about personal stuff, don’t feel, and don’t ask for help. Even if they do seek help, the deck is stacked against them finding someone who understands their situation.

Men's experiences of abuse share similarities with those of women. They also differ in critical ways. It's time to bring these issues to light and offer the support that abused men desperately need.

Four Fs of Stress and Trauma: Fight, Flight, Freeze, Fawn Explained 0

Have you ever found yourself reacting to stress in ways that seem out of your control? Those automatic responses can get you in trouble! They can mess with your relationships, work life, and personal well-being.

You are probably aware of the fight-or-flight emergency stress response concept but may not know that 2-only list of instinctual reactions has been expanded as more research into stress has been performed.

As the list has grown, the F alliteration has remained. The expanded list includes Fight, Flight, Freeze, and Fawn. (Some have added others like Faint or Flop, and Friend. I'll explain why I don't typically include these when talking about the stress response.)

I added freeze to my stress response explanations to clients many years ago, but I resisted the idea of growing the list beyond three until I investigated fawn recently for a writing project and got excited about how well it explained some of what I have witnessed in client stories.  

Recognizing the Four Fs stress response can empower you to better manage stress and make healthier choices in challenging situations.

Let's explore the Fight-Flight-Freeze-Fawn stress response and its implications on your daily life.

Baby Traps: Fake Positive Pregnancy and Paternity DNA Tests 0

A woman who wants to baby trap a man doesn't necessarily have to be pregnant to achieve her goal. Many fake pregnancy and paternity products are available to help her create a convincing con.

Pregnancy tests rigged to always turn out positive can be easily purchased online. And that’s just the beginning of the falsifying fatherhood industry.

Roses, Thorns, and Buds Silver Lining Daily Journal 0

 

The roses, thorns, and buds concept has been used by groups, organizations, and families for decades as a check-in on how things are going. I created a journal with tips and prompts so you can use this time-tested system to check in with yourself, savor the feel-good moments, process the challenges, and identify new opportunities for happiness and growth.

12 Best Foods to Reduce Anxiety and Stress Naturally 0

Anxiety and stress are common issues that many people face on a daily basis. 

The good news is that diet changes can positively impact your mental well-being. Whether you are dealing with an anxiety disorder, PTSD, panic, or general anxious feelings, incorporating specific foods into your diet can have a profound impact on reducing anxiety and stress naturally. 

In this article, I'll give you the top 12 research-based foods for anxiety relief I discovered while writing my book Feed Your Calm: Anti-Anxiety Anti-Stress Diet and Supplement Tips for Stress Resilience.