Mar de Manuel, psychologist: “Automatic thoughts can trigger sadness, anxiety, or worry”

Automatic thoughts, also known as distorted thoughts, are involuntary ideas that surface spontaneously. They often stem from subjective interpretations about ourselves, others, or the situations around us. And even though they’re frequently irrational, we tend to accept them as true. While they’re a normal part of mental functioning, they can sometimes overwhelm us or leave us feeling stuck.

“Certain thoughts can solidify”

Psychologist Mar de Manuel from yess! explains it this way: “Our day-to-day lives are guided by actions that, after enough repetition, become automatic. When we drive for the first time, our attention is dialed all the way up: the car, the steering wheel, the gear shifts, the mirrors, the road - everything demands our full focus. But with practice, driving requires less and less conscious effort. Those movements become stored in memory and eventually turn into automatic routines. Something very similar happens with our thoughts.

“When we repeat the same thoughts often enough, our nervous system internalizes and automates them, creating mental habits. These habits show up not just in our outward behaviors, like driving, but also in our internal processes, like thinking itself. Over time, certain thoughts can solidify to the point of becoming automatic thoughts.”

Are they a problem? “Not necessarily,” she says. “In fact, automatic thoughts are necessary - they help us function more efficiently. Not having to analyze every step while driving makes the task easier. The trouble comes when those automatic thoughts are rooted in negative or inaccurate interpretations about ourselves or the world around us. In those cases, they can affect our emotional state and trigger sadness, anxiety, or worry.”

Workplace pressure

As De Manuel explains, the workplace - where high demands and pressure are common - “creates fertile ground for negative automatic thoughts.” Some common examples include: “My boss doesn’t think I’m competent,” “She isn’t answering because she hates my idea,” “He’s probably thinking about firing me,” “My coworkers didn’t invite me to lunch because they don’t like me,” “I messed up that presentation - I’m a disaster,” “I never come up with creative ideas,” “I’m not good enough for that promotion.”

“Learning not to be ruled by negative automatic thoughts is essentially gaining psychological freedom,” she adds. “It’s a process of building the skills to question your own thoughts - to tell the difference between the ones grounded in reality and the ones based on distorted interpretations. People who work on reshaping their automatic thoughts tend to develop stronger self‑confidence, greater emotional well‑being, and better adaptability. In short, they build a healthier relationship with their inner world and with the environment around them. It’s absolutely worth the effort.”

The gateway to rumination

Automatic thoughts can also open the door to rumination. “When one of these thoughts appears, it can trigger a chain of related ideas circling around the same theme,” De Manuel says. “Instead of questioning it or letting it go, the mind starts analyzing it over and over - looking for explanations, predicting consequences, or replaying past situations - without being able to break free from it.”

“A fleeting thought becomes a loop when we stop evaluating it objectively and start turning it over in our minds again and again, without reaching a solution or anything constructive. Rumination isn’t productive reflection - it’s an unproductive cycle. The thought keeps coming back, amplifies emotional distress, and ultimately leads to paralysis, indecision, and mental exhaustion.”

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