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Exercise 1. Check what it is - an opinion or a fact?

Every time you think about or judge something - STOP and check yourself - you are relying on a verifiable fact or on an evaluative judgment (your own or someone else's).

A statement that can be verified or proven to be true is called a fact. An opinion is a judgment or belief about something.

The difference between fact and opinion:

1. Opinion is based on assumptions, while fact is based on observation or research.
2. A fact is an unbiased reality, while an opinion is a subjective statement.
3. You can use evidence or statistics to confirm facts. In contrast, no evidence exists to support an opinion.
4. Fact's distinctive feature is that it is universal and does not change from person to person. On the contrary, each person has his or her own opinion on this or that issue.
5. The facts are stated in unbiased language.

Exercise 2: Let's identify cognitive distortions.

In case your thought turned out to be an opinion or value judgment rather than a fact, then your task is to determine which cognitive distortion caused it. Check yourself against the list of distortions.

List of cognitive biases

Exercise 3: Noticing the distortions of others.

Try for a week to notice and write down the opinions and value judgments expressed by others and your own.