Have you ever had an amazing day—got compliments, nailed a project, connected with friends—but all you can think about on the drive home is that one awkward thing you said? Or walked out of an electric audition only to spiral about whether you picked the right song?

Welcome to mental filtering: the cognitive distortion that zooms in on the negative and filters out everything else. In this episode, we're diving into why our brains love to replay what went wrong on a loop, how this pattern shows up in our relationships, creative work, jobs, and daily life—and most importantly, what we can actually do about it.

In this episode, we cover:

• What mental filtering is and how to recognize it in real time
• How this thinking pattern manifests in your body (hint: it's not just in your head)
• The connection between childhood trauma, rejection, and hypervigilance
• Practical tools to challenge the filter and see the full picture
• Real-world application for relationships, auditions, work, and everyday moments
• Why progress matters more than perfection

This isn't about toxic positivity or "good vibes only"—it's about being accurate, not just positive. It's about telling yourself the whole truth, not just the filtered version your brain wants you to believe.

If you're a creative, someone navigating mental health, or just tired of your brain hijacking your good days, this episode is for you.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

Does your brain turn minor inconveniences into total life ruination? Welcome to catastrophizing, bestie.

This week we're diving into that special cognitive distortion where your mind becomes a disaster movie director. From creatives convinced one critique means career death, to daters planning breakup speeches after awkward pauses, to therapy beginners sure their therapist thinks they're hopeless - we're calling out those exact spirals with love and humor.

Learn why your cave-person brain thinks everything is dangerous, how catastrophizing shows up differently for different people, and 5 practical ways to shift from disaster thinking to peace for your future self.

Perfect for anyone starting their mental health journey, creatives navigating vulnerability, or daters trying not to lose their minds in the modern dating world.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

Struggling with perfectionism and catastrophic thinking? In this 30-minute episode, host Justin G. Nelson breaks down all-or-nothing thinking—the cognitive distortion that keeps you stuck in anxiety loops. You'll learn what black-and-white thinking really is and why your brain defaults to extremes, how this pattern shows up in creativity, dating, and healing from trauma, why one mistake feels like total failure (and how to stop the spiral), plus practical methods to retrain your brain for nuance and gray area thinking. Perfect for creatives battling perfectionism, anxious overthinkers, people-pleasers, anyone in therapy working on cognitive distortions, and daters who spiral after one awkward text. Subscribe to Adjusting Your Anxiety with Justin G. Nelson for weekly episodes on rewiring anxious thought patterns!

#AnxietyPodcast #MentalHealth #CognitiveDistortions #Perfectionism #SelfHelp #TherapyPodcast #AnxietyRelief

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.