‘Black and white’ thinking
What is ‘black and white’ thinking?
Black and white (or all or nothing) thinking is a type of ‘thinking trap’ which happens when people focus on extremes with no middle ground. It is very common for people generally, but also for people living with diabetes, to get caught in this trap
Example:
It can be easy to fall into the trap of viewing a glucose reading as being ‘good’ or ‘bad’; a decision about an insulin dose as being either ‘right’ or ‘wrong’; or a day as a ‘success’ or complete ‘failure’.
This extreme thinking can have a negative impact on how you feel about yourself and your diabetes care. It can also affect how you subsequently behave and respond. There are over 40 different factors that can affect your glucose levels every day, so you can’t get it right all the time. However, black and white thinking can mean you set impossibly high standards for yourself, and when you fall short of these expectations, it can make you feel like a total failure. Click on the button below. For example:
No Result
result in using words such as:
Click here for ideas about how you can manage ‘black and white’ thinking.
Let’s talk about it:
What black and white thinking traps do you notice yourself getting caught up in that affect how you feel about yourself and your diabetes?
Go to ‘Emotional wellbeing and diabetes: thoughts, feelings and behaviours’ or choose another section.
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Must admit I have been guilty of black and white thinking at times. I then regroup Having a good support network really helps sometimes it’s just impossible to translate how you feel living with diabetes but thinking grey makes you have a different perspective
After 25 living with diabeties I’ve learnt to cope
After 25 years living with diabeties I’ve learnt to deal with this