Contemplations on the whole lot of "anti-real food" opinions in light “15 Styles of Distorted Thinking”.

Date:   8/4/2015 6:39:40 AM ( 9 y ago)

Eastern Washington University(EWU) has a very informative webpage devoted to “Effective Stress Management”[1] with the second half focused on important “Lifestyle Changes”. I am truly grateful that these suggestions include a section on “Perception of Threat Interventions” as having clarity about perception is really the master key (as A Course in Miracles testifies)!

What I value as the diamond-of-a-gem among the four items in the section on “Perception” is: “Avoid cognitive distortions that may skew your perception.”! Their hyper-link (at "cognitive distortions") connects to 15 Styles of Distorted Thinking[2]

The first distorted thinking style is called Filtering: “You take the negative details and magnify them, while filtering out all positive aspects of a situation. A single detail may be picked out, and the whole event becomes colored by this detail. When you pull negative things out of context, isolated from all the good experiences around you, you make them larger and more awful than they really are.”

I see this style essentially embedded among different anti-real food positions.

The second distorted thinking style is Polarized Thinking: “The hallmark of this distortion is an insistence on dichotomous choices. Things are black or white, good or bad. You tend to perceive everything at the extremes, with very little room for a middle ground. ...”

I see this virtually paired with “Filtering” as if these two styles were twins!

Distorted thinking style #3.) Overgeneralization: You come to a general conclusion based on a single incident or piece of evidence. If something bad happens once, you expect it to happen over and over again. 'Always' and 'never' are cues that this style of thinking is being utilized. This distortion can lead to a restricted life, as you avoid future failures based on the single incident or event.

This one seems a little "tricky" to determine in this instance as it includes certain “conclusions” and “expectations” that I can't assume are applicable to any individual. However, I do find the consequence of “a restricted life” interesting and wonder that is the kind of thinking that is embedded in the FDA and subsequently projected out onto "perpetrators" all based on their own "perceptions".

#4.) is “Mind Reading” which I'll skip for this consideration.

#5.) Catastrophizing: “You expect disaster. You notice or hear about a problem and start "what if's." What if that happens to me? What if tragedy strikes? There are no limits to a really fertile catastrophic imagination. An underlying catalyst for this style of thinking is that you do not trust in yourself and your capacity to adapt to change.”

I see signs of this kind of distorted thinking among the “anti-real fooders”(ARF).

#6 - #9 Skipping these.

#10.) Shoulds: “You have a list of ironclad rules about how you and other people should act. People who break the rules anger you, and you feel guilty if you violate the rules. The rules are right and indisputable and, as a result, you are often in the position of judging and finding fault (in yourself and in others). Cue words indicating the presence of this distortion are should, ought, and must.”

I see this variant included among ARFers. I also see this same “spirit” transferred onto the FDA and the rest of the enforcers of the “ironclad rules” even when the enforcement is misapplied which I'm now convinced is most of the time!

I will just list the rest of these fifteen for now.

#11.) Emotional Reasoning: “You believe that what you feel must be true-automatically.”

#12.) Fallacy of Change: “You expect that other people will change to suit you if you just pressure or cajole them enough. You need to change people because your hopes for happiness seem to depend entirely on them. The truth is the only person you can really control or have much hope of changing is yourself. The underlying assumption of this thinking style is that your happiness depends on the actions of others. Your happiness actually depends on the thousands of large and small choices you make in your life.”

#13.) Global Labeling: “You generalize one or two qualities (in yourself or others) into a negative global judgment. Global labeling ignores all contrary evidence, creating a view of the world that can be stereotyped and one-dimensional. Labeling yourself can have a negative and insidious impact upon your self-esteem; while labeling others can lead to snap-judgments, relationship problems, and prejudice.”

#14.) Being Right: “You feel continually on trial to prove that your opinions and actions are correct. Being wrong is unthinkable and you will go to any length to demonstrate your rightness. Having to be 'right' often makes you hard of hearing. You aren't interested in the possible veracity of a differing opinion, only in defending your own. Being right becomes more important than an honest and caring relationship.”

#15.) Heaven's Reward Fallacy: “You expect all your sacrifice and self-denial to pay off, as if there were someone keeping score. You fell bitter when the reward doesn't come as expected. The problem is that while you are always doing the 'right thing,' if your heart really isn't in it, you are physically and emotionally depleting yourself.”

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October 17, 2017 - The Nutrition Component to Stress Management -

"Between August 2016 and January 2017, the overall average reported stress level of Americans rose from 4.8 to 5.1, on a scale where 1 means little or no stress and 10 means a great deal of stress, according to a survey conducted by the American Psychological Association [APA]. This represents the first significant increase in the 10 years since the Stress in America survey began. At the same time, more Americans said that they experienced physical and emotional symptoms of stress in the prior month, health symptoms that the APA warns could have long-term consequences."[3]

"While dietary supplements cannot change the external circumstances that people face, proper nutrition and nutrient-dense whole food supplements can keep the body functioning at optimal performance even under stressful conditions. Magnesium, a vital mineral nutrient, is perhaps one of the most important natural stress remedies because of its effectiveness, record of safe use, availability and value."[4]
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October 29, 2018 - More on the "Nutrition Component" -

"... According to Hans Selye, the Canadian doctor famous for his work on stress, magnesium is depleted when the body shifts from a short-term fight-or-flight reaction to a chronic stress reaction. The adrenal glands produce stress hormones.

... Elevated cortisol is an indication of chronic stress. Production of both norepinephrine and cortisol cause depletion of magnesium and both can be active at the same time.

Millions of people try unsuccessfully to cope with stress by taking pharmaceuticals or through addictive behaviors such as overeating, cigarette smoking, alcohol abuse, or use of street drugs, among others. We are a nation suffering a 32 percent incidence of stress-related anxiety, depression, and drug problems. Instead of treating stress reactions properly with magnesium, each year millions of people are introduced to the merry-go-round of psychiatric drugs and psychological counseling for symptoms that may, in fact, be rooted in magnesium deficiency. ..."[5]
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Notes:

[1] http://access.ewu.edu/caps/selfhelp/stressmanage/

[2] http://access.ewu.edu/caps/selfhelp/stressmanage/distortthink

[3] Survey: Stressed Nation 2017: http://www.apa.org/news/press/releases/2017/02/stressed-nation.aspx

[4] https://manage.kmail-lists.com/subscriptions/web-view?c=NMECq8&r=aGWLUXW&m=MiA7TT&k=5e9f7700c3cf4638bb00e5c5c12e6646

[5] "Stress Overload – What To Do First" By: Carolyn Dean MD ND:
https://drcarolyndeanlive.com/2018/10/29/stress-overload-what-to-do-first-carolyn-dean-md-nd/
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Keywords:

Stress Management, Perception, cognitive distortions, Distorted Thinking, Filtering, real food, Polarized Thinking, Overgeneralization, Catastrophizing, ironclad rules, nutrition, nutrient-dense whole food supplements, Magnesium

 

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