The Platform Delay

≈ 4 min

Read the monologue below and decide: which single cognitive distortion does the speaker's reasoning show — or is there no distortion at all? Then identify the exact phrase in the text that signals it. This is a puzzle, not a diagnosis or advice; the person and situation are entirely invented.

The scene

A train station platform where a commuter is stuck in a ticket-machine queue while already running late for an important appointment.

In the differential

Emotional reasoning
Personalisation
Should-statements
Catastrophising
No distortion — a reasonable reaction

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This case first aired on August 24, 2026. A fresh distortion runs every morning — same rules, five minutes, one solution.

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