Cognitive therapy is a form of psychotherapy, which essentially theorizes that we are what we think. It is believed that negative thinking patterns, known as cognitive distortions, contribute to a person’s symptoms of depression or anxiety.

When a person is thinking with the cognitive distortion of magnification and minimization, they are either blowing things out of proportion or lessening their importance.

Magnifications and minimizations mean a person distorts his or her reality by being far more negative than what others would perceive. In other words, a person’s problems become larger than life, while the positive aspects of their life are ignored.

People prone to panic attacks often fall into this cognitive distortion, which magnifies fears and maladaptive behaviors, while minimizing one’s ability to cope.

Below are two examples of magnification and minimization, followed by ways to combat this faulty thinking pattern.

Example One: Magnification and Minimization

Kim had rehearsed a speech for her sister’s wedding. When it came time to make her toast, though, Kim blundered a couple of words. She quickly regained control and ended up giving a moving and heartfelt toast. Afterwards, many people