The Lies Your Brain Tells You

Your thoughts aren’t always facts. Especially the loud, anxious ones.

Ever spiralled after one text left on read… or convinced yourself something terrible happened just because someone was late?

In this episode of Reflections & Realizations, we explore the hidden mental traps your brain sets — known as cognitive distortions. These are the lies that shape your emotional reality: fortune-telling, catastrophizing, mind-reading… they feel real, but they’re not. Left unchecked, they steal your peace, fuel anxiety, and distort how you see yourself and the world.

I introduce a two-step Realignment Tool, inspired by Cognitive Behavioural Therapy (CBT), to help you catch those distorted thought loops and choose a new response.
This is about waking up. Interrupting your patterns. And reclaiming the version of you that’s been buried under anxious noise and mental autopilot.

🛠️ The Name It & Challenge It Framework

➤ Step 1: Name It
Catch the distortion and call it out.
Examples:

“I’m definitely going to fail this.” → That’s fortune telling.

“They’re not replying. They must hate me.” → That’s mind-reading.
Naming it helps you see the thought for what it is: not truth, just a mental reflex.

➤ Step 2: Challenge It
Now slow it down. Ask yourself:

What’s the actual evidence?

Am I ignoring other, more likely outcomes?

What would I say to a friend who had this thought?

What does my faith remind me about Allah’s mercy, qadr, and ease?

You can respond with curiosity instead of fear. You can speak back with truth instead of silence.

Because challenging distorted thoughts isn’t about perfection — it’s about freedom.

With love,
Alveena
Reflections & Realizations

#CognitiveDistortions #FaithAndPsychology #CBTTools #MuslimPodcast #MentalHealthAwareness #MindsetShift #SelfCompassion #IslamicPsychology #ThoughtWork #InnerPeace #InterruptTheLoop #EmotionalResilience

Thank you for listening. If something in an episode touched you, made you think, or just hit different… I’d love to hear it. Alveena