Turning one event into a never-ending pattern.
Overgeneralization turns a single event into a sweeping rule about your future, your identity, or how life always goes.
The mind uses one painful data point as a shortcut, then ignores the exceptions and counterexamples that would make the conclusion more accurate.
“That meeting went awkwardly. I always ruin important conversations.”
One difficult interaction cannot accurately summarize every important conversation you have had or will have.
“I got rejected once, so this is just how it always goes for me. Nothing ever works out.”
A painful event can be real without becoming a permanent rule. Frequency needs to be counted, not emotionally assumed.
Shrink the story back down to the actual event instead of promoting it into a lifelong rule.
Ask yourself: How many times has this actually happened?
A kinder version: This time was hard, but it does not define the full pattern.
Relief walks through this on iPhone — capture the thought, name the distortion, weigh the evidence, write a more balanced version. Everything stays encrypted on your device. No account, no cloud.