You’re smart, motivated, and pushing hard to be a good student, roommate, and find your space, but at the same time, your brain won’t let you breathe. Every assignment feels like a test of will and your confidence. One mistake can send you spiraling. You replay conversations in your head, worried you sounded “stupid.” You compare yourself to classmates who seem effortlessly put together and wonder why you can’t just relax. Deep down, you know you’re capable, but your thoughts keep twisting reality in ways that fuel your anxiety.
That’s what anxiety therapists call cognitive distortions. They are unhelpful thought patterns that bend or exaggerate the truth until it feels like fact. They sneak into your daily life so naturally that you may not even notice they’re happening. But once you start paying attention, you’ll see how often they shape your thoughts, emotions, and behavior.
Common Cognitive Distortions that Fuel Anxiety
Here are a few of the most common ones that show up in the lives of high-achieving women:
All-or-nothing thinking: Seeing situations in extremes. “If I don’t ace this exam, I’m a failure.” Life becomes black and white, leaving no room for “good enough” or progress.
Catastrophizing: Always expecting the worst-case scenario. “If I mess up this presentation, I’ll tank my GPA and ruin my future.” This distortion tricks your brain into living in constant fight-or-flight mode, which is never any fun.
Mind reading: Assuming you know what others are thinking. “She didn’t respond to my text, so she must be mad at me.” The truth is, most people are too wrapped up in their own lives to be critiquing yours. But when those emotions run high, so do these distortions.
Discounting the positive: Brushing off accomplishments as luck or not good enough. You might think, “Sure, I did well on that paper, but anyone could’ve done it.” Over time, this robs you of confidence.
Should statements: Living under the heavy weight of “I should be more disciplined, I should already know this, I should have it all figured out.” “Shoulds” create shame and anxiety instead of motivation.
When these distortions play on repeat, anxiety feels inescapable. They create a filter where everything looks like pressure, failure, or danger, and before you know i,t you’re in a panic mode or sleeping, unable to get off the couch
Why Driven Women Are Especially Vulnerable
You might wonder, Why do I fall into these thinking traps so easily? High-achieving, driven women often carry layers of pressure, both internal and external. Maybe you’ve always been the “responsible one,” the “good student,” or the one people expect to succeed. That identity can feel empowering, but is also SO exhausting, because it convinces you that you’re only as valuable as your performance.
College adds another layer: comparison. Everywhere you turn, it feels like someone is doing more, achieving more, or handling stress seemingly better than you. Social media amplifies this because the “highlight reel,” if you will, is never really showing the middle ground of the “low light reel” that everyone faces during this window of time.
This mix of perfectionism, pressure, and comparison becomes the perfect storm for anxiety. Cognitive distortions take root because they fit the story you’ve been telling yourself. And our brains only have to make sense of our experience to reward us, even though our negative stories are often untrue. That’s why many students seek anxiety therapy in Provo; therapists offer to untangle those stories and shift the inner narrative.
How Therapy Helps Untangle Distorted Thinking
The empowering truth is this: thoughts are not facts. Feelings are not facts. They are convincing, but they don’t always tell the whole story. Therapy helps you see the difference.
Here’s how an anxiety therapist might work with you to challenge distortions and lower anxiety:
Awareness – You’ll learn to notice distorted thoughts in the moment. For example, catching yourself when you say, “I’m going to fail this exam,” and pausing to recognize that it’s catastrophizing & implement tools to help your nervous system to get centered & pull out of that spot.
Questioning the thought – An anxiety therapist helps you ask: Is this true? Is there evidence for it? Is there another way to look at it? This step weakens the automatic power of the distortion. And when thoughts are running hot & fast, most of us are unable to identify the triggers, let alone match them with tools & truths that will allow us to get into a better headspace.
Reframing – Instead of “If I don’t get an A, I’m worthless,” you might shift to “I want to do well, but one grade doesn’t define me.” Reframing reduces anxiety because it replaces black-and-white panic with a balanced perspective. Sounds simple enough, but learning new things takes support, time & practice.
Building coping skills – Therapy goes beyond thought work. You’ll also learn grounding techniques, mindfulness practices, and nervous system regulation tools to calm your body when anxiety spikes.
Addressing the root causes – Often, distortions grow from deeper beliefs: fear of failure, pressure to be perfect, or old wounds around not feeling good enough. Therapy helps you uncover these roots so the distortions lose power.
A Real-Life Example
Imagine this: you walk out of a class presentation and immediately think, I totally blew it. Everyone could tell I was nervous. Your chest tightens, your stomach drops, and anxiety & shame start to spiral.
Here’s where therapy shifts things. With practice, you pause and check the distortion: “Am I mind-reading? What evidence do I have that everyone thought I failed?” Then you consider alternative explanations: “I stumbled a little, but I still got through it. People were probably focused on their own parts, not mine.”
That small shift may not erase anxiety overnight, but it begins to loosen its grip. Over time, your brain learns new, healthier default pathways—ones that support confidence rather than fear.
You Don’t Have to Fight Your Mind Alone
Anxiety is draining, but it’s not a life sentence. Cognitive distortions are learned habits of thought, not permanent truths. And the great news is, habits can change. With the right support, you can step out of the cycle of distorted thinking and start experiencing college—and life—with more balance, calm, and self-trust.
Therapy isn’t about making your drive disappear. It’s about helping you use that drive in ways that feel sustainable, compassionate, and aligned with who you really are. You can still be ambitious without letting anxiety rule your every thought.
Final Thought & Call to Action
If you’ve been noticing that your mind twists even the smallest situations into sources of stress, it’s worth paying attention. You don’t have to keep believing every anxious thought that shows up.
Reaching out to a therapist is a powerful first step toward changing your relationship with your thoughts. Together, we can untangle the distortions fueling your anxiety, uncover the deeper beliefs driving them, and help you create healthier patterns that support your success and your peace of mind. Whether you're looking for anxiety therapy in Provo or support from an anxiety therapist in Salt Lake City & Provo, UT, the first step is a conversation.
Because you deserve more than just getting through the day—you deserve to thrive. Give us a call at 801-699-6161.
Noticing Thought Traps Taking Over? Anxiety Therapy in Provo & Salt Lake City, Utah Can Help
If your brain has a way of turning minor moments into spirals of shame, fear, or self-doubt, it’s not just in your head—it’s how anxiety works. These thought traps, or cognitive distortions, are convincing, but they’re not the whole story. Anxiety therapy in Provo & Salt Lake City, Utah can help you spot those patterns, gently challenge them, and find more balanced ways of thinking that support your confidence and peace of mind. You don’t have to live in constant self-analysis or stress just to keep up.
At Inside Wellness, we offer therapy that understands the mental load you're carrying—and gives you real tools to lighten it. Here’s how to begin:
Book a free consultation or contact us at 801-699-6161
Meet with an anxiety therapist who gets how exhausting overthinking, people-pleasing, and internal pressure can be
Start shifting your thinking patterns and building more trust in yourself, one conversation at a time
Other Services Inside Wellness Offers in Provo and Salt Lake City, UT
College doesn’t just bring academics—it brings the pressure to perform, social comparison, and those exhausting internal narratives that tell you you’re not doing enough. At Inside Wellness, we understand how quickly high expectations can spiral into self-doubt, perfectionism, and anxiety. That’s why we offer more than just eating disorder treatment or body image therapy. Our services also include anxiety therapy in Provo & Salt Lake City, Utah, as well as therapy for perfectionism and burnout. Whether you’re stuck in cognitive distortions, overwhelmed by social pressure, or caught in a cycle of overthinking and avoidance, we’re here to help you untangle the thoughts keeping you stuck.
Visit our blog or FAQ to learn how therapy can support your mental health, reframe anxious thinking, and help you find new ways to thrive in college—with less pressure and more self-trust.