Golf challenges us to think well of ourselves on those occasions when feeling the stress of competition more. Some ways of thinking add a bias to our view of the world and lead us to feel bad. To help us feel better, however, we need to identify those faulty ways we think on the golf course first before we can change those habitual patterns of thinking. Here are five common types of crooked thinking – let’s see whether these thoughts resonate with you. These are five ways in which we think crookedly; ways that do not help us to feel better about ourselves. Beware of these thinking patterns and you will be well on your way to helping yourself think better about yourself and your situation. Catastrophizing: This means predicting the worst outcome. “If I make a mistake on the first hole, I will play terribly in this round”. Overgeneralizing: This means we assume that if some happened once it will keep happening. “I’m such a useless golfer, I keep blowing up on the last hole”. Exaggerating: This means we give negative events much more import than they deserve and conversely we lessen the import we place on positive events. “Any fool should be able to par the first hole” or “I’ll never get over the double bogey on the fifth hole”Discounting the positive: This means we reject good things as if they did not matter. “I could never make birdie on that hole if it was in competition” or “He only said that to make me feel better about myself”. > *Mind-reading*: This means you believe you know what others are thinking. “They all thought I was fooling to take a driver off the 4th tee” or “They only asked me to join them because they couldn’t find anyone else”.
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