How Magnifying Distorts Thinking and What to Do to Avoid It
There are many types of cognitive distortions that people struggle with. Knowing the name and signs of something can help you avoid these patterns in yourself or understand and help if a loved one is struggling.
Magnifying is one of these types of distortions. When someone magnifies a situation, they evaluate it in a way that makes the situation a much bigger deal than it is, which causes them to react to that situation or the people involved in ways that cause further problems.
Imagine looking at something with a pair of binoculars, or zooming into a photo so that you can only see one small portion of it up close. When you do this, all the imperfections show even more, and the picture might even begin to blur. You can no longer see everything around the image, which could be important to understand the whole picture.
Magnifying affects the context in which you view the situation. When you magnify, you focus on one part of a situation (usually a problematic one), and all of the possible effects take control in your mind.
For example, imagine that you go to the grocery store for a family member’s favorite dinner dish on their birthday. The store is out of that particular ingredient and you imagine having to cook without it, which will ruin the dish, which will then cause the birthday person to cry/throw a fit/make rude comments, which will create further arguments that will cause rifts in the family for months. This is magnification.
How to Avoid Magnification
Remember that every thought that comes into our minds does not have to be one that we hold on to. Even if our initial thoughts jump to magnification, we can acknowledge the thought and then bring up other possibilities. Try to imagine someone else in the situation and what they might do, or what you would say to a loved one who is struggling with the same problem you are thinking about. Stepping out of your box and into another person’s shoes can often help us see things from a different perspective.
It's okay to have negative thoughts. However, you can re-train your brain to not let these thoughts take over and to focus on the positive instead. Use a gratitude journal to write down at least three good things a day. When our brain focuses on the negative, it will seek out the negative. When it focuses on the positive—on blessings, joys, affirmations, and good feelings—it will learn to look for these things and desire the good effects that come from them.
What to Do if You or Someone You Love Is Struggling
Always take mental health and cognitive distortions seriously. If it seems that your life or the life of someone you know is being negatively impacted by magnifying or another cognitive distortion, reach out to your mental health provider or to your primary care manager for a referral. It’s okay and important to ask for help and it can prevent more serious issues down the road.