You messed something up and before you could even process what happened, your brain handed you a verdict: I'm such a failure. I'm so lazy. I'm too much. That move — taking one moment and turning it into a permanent identity — is called Labeling, and it might be the most quietly destructive cognitive distortion there is. Because it doesn't just tell you that you did something wrong. It tells you that you are wrong.

In this episode, we're breaking down exactly what Labeling is, where it comes from (spoiler: most of it wasn't yours to begin with), and how it shows up in your relationships, your creative work, your career, and the way you talk to yourself every single day. We're also getting into Imposter Syndrome — because that's Labeling wearing a blazer — and the deeper work of knowing your worth when your sense of self was built on shaky ground.

This one is for the creatives, the high-achievers, the people-pleasers, and anyone who has ever turned a hard moment into a life sentence about who they are.

In this episode:

• What Labeling is and how it differs from other cognitive distortions
• Who develops this pattern and why — including the trauma and anxiety connection
• How it shows up in relationships, creative work, your career, and daily life
• The link between Labeling, Imposter Syndrome, and not knowing your worth
• Practical tools for catching labels in real time and rewriting them
• Book recommendations and reflection questions to take the work deeper

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

Do you ever assume you know exactly what someone's thinking—and it's always something bad? Your partner's quiet, so obviously they're pulling away. Your friend doesn't text back, so clearly they don't want to hang out. Your boss sends a short email, so you must be getting fired. If this sounds familiar, you're not alone. You're mind reading—and it's one of the most exhausting cognitive distortions out there.

In this episode, we're diving deep into what mind reading actually is, who's most prone to it, and why our brains do this in the first place. We'll explore the trauma roots of this pattern—how growing up in unpredictable or emotionally volatile environments can wire us to constantly scan for danger in other people's thoughts. We'll talk about the neuroscience behind it, the toll it takes on your body and nervous system, and why you're always filling in the blanks with the worst possible interpretation.

But here's the good news: once you can see the pattern, you can start to shift it. I'll walk you through practical tools to catch yourself mid-mind-read, reality-test your assumptions, and build the courage to ask instead of assume. Because the truth is, you're not actually psychic—and you don't need to be.

In this episode, you'll learn:

• What mind reading is and how it shows up in relationships, work, and daily life
• The childhood trauma and attachment wounds that create this pattern
• Why your nervous system treats imagined threats like real ones
• How to recognize when you're making up stories vs. reading real cues
• Practical techniques to challenge your assumptions and communicate directly
• How to build long-term awareness and break the cycle

If you're tired of living in your head, creating problems that don't exist, and missing out on real connection because you're too busy defending yourself against imaginary criticism—this episode is for you.

Let's stop shadow boxing with the stories we made up and start showing up for what's actually real.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.

Ever convinced yourself you're going to fail before you've even tried? Predict every conversation will be a disaster? Decide the relationship is doomed before it's even had a chance? You're not psychic—you're fortune telling, and it's a cognitive distortion that's keeping you stuck in imaginary futures that don't exist yet.

In this episode, we're breaking down the pattern of fortune telling: why your brain only predicts bad things, how it shows up in relationships, creative work, career decisions, and daily life, and what to do when you're living in constant dread of outcomes that haven't happened.

We'll cover:

• What fortune telling actually is and why it's so destructive
• How it manifests in auditions, job interviews, relationships, and everyday situations
• Why we do this (spoiler: it's often rooted in past trauma and the illusion of control)
• How to catch yourself mid-prediction and reality-test your thoughts
• Practical tools to stay in the present instead of spiraling about imagined disasters
• How to build tolerance for uncertainty and stop writing tragedy scripts for your own life

If you're tired of robbing yourself of opportunities because you've already decided they won't work out, this episode is for you. Let's stop predicting the future and start showing up for what's actually happening.

Let’s Connect!

Website: www.adjustingpod.com

Social Media: @adjustingpod on Instagram | Facebook | Youtube | TikTok

Apple Podcasts: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/adjusting-podcast/id1748188929

Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/show/4Lyu594jw5luH1rujNcTZZ?si=386a7e7728f5461b

Amazon Music/Audible: https://music.amazon.com/podcasts/7863b34c-b85c-4f67-8044-10dd08cfb660/adjusting-podcast

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@AdjustingPodcast

Substack Channel: https://justingnelson.substack.com/?utm_campaign=profile_chips

Guest/Topic submissions: adjustingpod@gmail.com

Disclaimer: Adjusting Podcast is NOT a substitute for professional diagnosis or treatment.