By now, you know that whatever you do in bed eventually becomes associated with your bed and your sleep habits. Thinking upsetting thoughts while in bed teaches your brain that the bed is a place to worry. These upsetting negative thoughts often pop up automatically in the brain, are intrusive, persistent and cause unpleasant emotions.

These thoughts are also called mind tricks. Mind tricks are overly negative ways of seeing yourself, others, and the world you are in. They are not realistic and are unfair to you. They are a common experience of people with insomnia and are a source of the racing mind when your head hits the pillow.

For this next exercise, we will present several situations and thoughts. Please select the mind trick from the three available options that corresponds to that thinking style. We will then give you an explanation of what each thinking style means. The aim of this exercise is to start learning to recognise these mind tricks before we start challenging them.

"If I can’t sleep 8 hours a night, it’s pointless to sleep at all".

"I didn't get the promotion! I will never succeed. Bad things always happen to me".

• All or Nothing Thinking
• Overgeneralisation
• Labelling

Thinking in terms of extremes. Seeing things as either right or wrong, good or bad, perfect or terrible. With such an extreme way of viewing things, it means we can start seeing one small mistake as a total failure. Judging yourself against unrealistic standards and expectations.

"If I don't work long hours, my boss will think I'm lazy", "If I don't check and reply to emails at night, my manager will think I don't work hard enough".

• Jumping to Conclusions
• Castastrophising
• Overgeneralisation

Presuming we know what other people are thinking without looking at the evidence. Predicting the future and having negative expectations about what might happen.

"If I keep having trouble sleeping, I will keep being unproductive at work and I'm going to lose my job".

• All of Nothing Thinking
• Jumping to Conclusions
• Catastrophising

Expecting the worst will happen. Exaggerating how badly something will unfold and minimising your capacity to manage uncomfortable or difficult situations.

"I have been feeling anxious about this presentation for days now, so I know it's going to go badly".

• Overgeneralisation
• Emotional Reasoning
• Correct answer. Making assumptions and basing your views on an experience based on feelings in the heat of the moment rather than facts.
• Castastrophising

"I should be able to sleep like a normal person. I must get 8 hours of sleep, or I'll be a mess the next day".

Should or Must Statements

Applying strict rules to yourself on how you should, must, or ought to feel or behave all day everyday. Setting yourself up to unrealistic expectations, and naturally when not met, leading to feelings of disappointment and stress.

All or Nothing Thinking

Wrong answer.

Labelling

"I always sleep so poorly. What's wrong with me? I keep failing at everything. I'm a loser".

Catastrophising

Labelling

Correct answer.

Describing yourself using negative labels based on a single negative experience or self-reflection. This is done instead of factually and reasonably describing the situation.

Jumping to Conclusions

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