We're closing out the season with the one that started it all — the quiet rulebook most of us have been living by without realizing it. Should/Must Statements are the cognitive distortion underneath almost every other pattern we've covered this season, and today we're getting into all of it: why getting back to a routine after a gap feels so hard, the guilt spiral that follows every canceled plan, how hustle culture weaponizes your own standards against you, and why boundaries feel impossible when your whole mindset is built around "I must." If you've been trying to rebuild — your health, your business, your sense of self — this one is for you. We're addressing where this pattern lives, adjusting with actual grace (not the platitude version), and applying real tools you can use starting today.

Topics covered: cognitive distortions, Should/Must Statements, rebuilding routines, entrepreneur burnout, guilt and shame cycles, boundaries, unspoken expectations, healing with grace.

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.

Have you ever walked into a room and immediately decided something was off — and that you were the reason? That is personalization. It is one of the quietest cognitive distortions there is, and one of the most exhausting — because it puts you at the center of things you were never actually responsible for. In this episode, we are breaking down what personalization really is, where it comes from, how it shows up in your friendships, your creative work, your faith, and your sense of self — and what it actually looks like to start putting it down. We also get into code switching, sexual shame, deconstruction, and what it means to flip the script — from making yourself the reason everything goes wrong, to owning the gifts and purpose that are uniquely yours.

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.

Have you ever convinced yourself something was wrong — with a friendship, your work, your worth — not because of anything that actually happened, but because it just felt that way? That's emotional reasoning, and it might be the sneakiest cognitive distortion of them all. In this episode, we're breaking down why your brain treats feelings like facts, where that pattern started, and what it's quietly costing you.

We talk about how emotional reasoning shows up in your creative work, your relationships, your faith life, and your daily goals — and why it's so hard to catch in the moment. We also dig into the deep connection between emotional reasoning, shame, imposter syndrome, and childhood experiences that taught you to trust the feeling over the evidence.

This episode covers:

• What emotional reasoning is and how CBT defines it
• How it shows up differently in friendships, creative spaces, healing journeys, and goal setting
• The trauma and anxiety connection — and why this is a nervous system pattern, not a character flaw
• Why imposter syndrome is emotional reasoning with credentials
• The shame and self-worth layer that keeps this pattern in place
• Five practical tools to start separating feelings from facts
• What to do when the tools don't reach in the moment
• Reflection questions to help you identify where this pattern lives in your life

If you've ever let a feeling write a story your life didn't actually confirm — this one's for you.

Keywords/Tags: emotional reasoning, cognitive distortion, CBT, mental health podcast, anxiety and trauma, imposter syndrome, shame and self-worth, healing journey, cognitive behavioral therapy, emotional intelligence, mental wellness, faith and mental health, creative burnout, self-worth, inner critic, nervous system healing, therapy tools, personal growth podcast, mental health for creatives, overgeneralization

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.