Inspired by “Anxiety Matters” with Dr. Bonnie Zucker & Dr. Bonnie Zucker
I recently listened to an episode of Anxiety Matters (side note: this podcast is hosted by two therapists, both named Bonnie Zucker, both specializing in anxiety—how cool is that?) where they talked about catastrophizing and uncertainty. For the first time, I heard the phrase “thinking errors.” Immediately, I loved this reframe.
Bonnie Zucker East (BZE) put it this way:
“It can be a bad feeling when you’re doing CBT to hear that you’re making thinking mistakes or thinking errors. We can call them thinking habits or thinking patterns, but I do kind of like calling them thinking errors because I know I make thinking errors sometimes. And I like to know that it’s an erroneous way of thinking. I like to know that I’m thinking only because I’m having anxiety in that moment, where I can only see that situation one way.”
That hit home. When you're in the middle of an anxious spiral, it can feel like your thoughts are The Truth. But in reality, they're often just faulty mental shortcuts your anxious brain leans on.
There’s a long list of thinking errors, but today I want to highlight five that I see pop up constantly in OCD—whether you have contamination fears, harm OCD, relationship OCD, existential OCD, sexual orientation OCD (hi, me), or any other subtype.
Here’s a breakdown of each one—and what it actually looks like when you live with OCD:
1. Catastrophizing
This one’s a classic. It’s when your brain takes something small and blows it up into the worst-case scenario—fast.
What it looks like with OCD:
You leave your apartment and suddenly wonder if you turned off the stove—even though you didn’t even use it that morning. But your brain spirals: What if my backpack bumped the knob and turned it on without me realizing? Next thing you know, you’re picturing your entire apartment building burning down and worrying, If that happens, does that mean I’m a terrible, careless person who doesn’t care about anyone else’s safety? Even when the logical part of you knows it’s unlikely, the fear feels too big to ignore.
➡️ Presently phrase: “Embrace uncertainty.”
Because the core struggle here is needing 100% certainty that nothing bad will happen—even when you’ve logically ruled it out.
2. Selective Attention (aka Hyperfocus on Threat)
Anxiety is like having a hyperactive alarm system—it zones in on anything that feels threatening and filters out the rest.
What it looks like with OCD:
You’re having a perfectly normal conversation at work when you say something that might have offended the other person. Even though they don’t seem upset, your brain locks onto that moment. Later, when you sit down to eat lunch, a new worry hits: What if they were mad and poisoned my food? Now you’re hyper-focused on any weird taste or sensation, searching for proof that your fear is true—even if there’s no real reason to believe it.
➡️ Presently phrase: “Brave the uncomfortable.”
This acknowledges the intense discomfort of hyper-focusing on a perceived threat and encourages sitting with that feeling rather than reacting to it.
3. Confirmation Bias (Worry + Evidence Hunting)
This is your brain playing detective—but only looking for evidence that backs up your fear.
What it looks like with OCD:
You experience Sexual Orientation OCD (SO-OCD): intrusive thoughts suddenly make you question your sexual identity, even though you’ve never doubted it before. Your brain starts scanning for evidence—Did I feel something when I looked at that person? What did that dream mean? Why didn’t I react the way I expected to in that situation?—and every tiny reaction feels like a clue. Even when nothing actually changes, your brain keeps digging, convinced that anxiety equals truth.
➡️ Presently phrase: “I am separate from my mind.”
A clear reminder that intrusive thoughts (and the mental checking that follows) don’t define your identity or truth.
4. All-or-Nothing Thinking
It’s black and white. No gray allowed. You’re either totally safe or totally at risk. Good or evil. Innocent or guilty.
What it looks like with OCD:
You have Harm OCD, and an intrusive thought flashes through your mind—something violent or aggressive that feels completely out of character. Instead of recognizing it as just a thought, your brain jumps to: If I had that thought, it must mean I’m a dangerous person. In that moment, there’s no in-between. You either see yourself as 100% good or 100% bad, and the presence of one scary thought feels like undeniable proof you’re the latter.
➡️ Presently phrase: “It’s okay to feel how I feel.”
This opens the door to accepting uncomfortable emotions or thoughts without labeling yourself as “bad” because of them.
5. Overgeneralization
You take one experience and apply it like a rule to everything.
What it looks like with OCD:
You’re in a loving relationship, but one day you feel a flicker of doubt—Do I really love my partner enough? Instead of seeing it as a normal, passing thought, your brain latches on and decides: If I had that doubt once, it must mean I’m not truly in love. From there, every small conflict or off moment feels like more proof that the relationship is doomed, even though deep down, nothing fundamental has changed.
➡️ Presently phrase: “My thoughts are passing clouds.”
A gentle nudge that one fleeting doubt or thought doesn’t mean everything about your relationship is doomed.
Here’s something Bonnie Zucker West (BZW) said that stuck with me:
“When you have anxiety, it’s like you have an antenna. Your anxiety antenna picks up things that confirm your anxious thoughts.”
I love that image because it explains why these thinking errors feel so convincing. Your brain isn’t lying to you on purpose—it’s just scanning the world through an anxious lens, tuned in to danger signals (whether or not those signals are actually meaningful).
The good news? Once you can name these patterns, you can start to challenge them. The next time your brain insists that a scary thought is true, you might be able to pause and say: Ahh, that’s just my anxiety antenna talking. That’s a thinking error, not a fact.
And that tiny pause? That’s where the healing starts.
Need a Tangible Reminder When Anxiety Hits?
We created Presently because we know how hard it is to interrupt anxious spirals in the moment—especially when OCD is in the mix. Our therapy-inspired bracelets are engraved with simple, evidence-backed phrases like “My thoughts are passing clouds” and “I am separate from my mind.” Each one is designed to give you something tangible to hold onto when your brain is running wild.
If you’ve ever wished you could keep your therapist’s voice in your pocket, this is the next best thing.
Because it’s one thing to know your anxiety is lying to you—and another thing to have a daily reminder that helps you believe it.
0 comments