“Irrational should statements rest on your assumption that you are entitled to instant gratification at all times.” David D. Burns, M.D.

This quote is loaded with wisdom on many levels. We’ve all heard about should have’s, would have’s and could have’s, as well as what happens to us when we make assumptions. But what we don’t like to think about is the idea that when we don’t get our way, or what we want we can go into a rage or get panicked. We start telling ourselves that if we don’t get X, we “will either die or be tragically deprived of joy forever (X can represent love, affection, status, respect, promptness, perfection, niceness, etc.).” Those of us who have battled addictions of any sort have seen the tragic outcome of an attitude of entitlement to gratification.

Check out my handout on Cognitive Therapy!

Feeling Good: The New Mood Therapy, David D. Burns, M.D. Harper Collins Publishers, New York, NY. 1980. pg. 159.