How you talk to and about yourself can have a major impact on many areas of your life.
Self-talk refers to the way yourinner voicemakes sense of the world around you and the way you.
How you communicate with your inner self can affect everything from your self-esteem to your motivation to your relationships.
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Identifying your thoughts and making a conscious effort to change them can be a great place to start.
Positive Self-Talk vs. “I made a mistake.”
“This is hard, but I’ll keep trying.”
“I’m still figuring things out.”
“I can keep learning and get better.”
“I know I can succeed.”
“I’m able to grow and change.”
“I’m an idiot.”
“I’ll never get it right; I give up.”
“I never do anything right.”
“I’m terrible at this.”
“I’m not good enough.”
“I’ll never change.”
Benefits of Positive Self-Talk
Positive self-talk can improve your resilience, mental well-being, and motivation.
If these techniques don’t work for you, consider seeing a therapist.
They can utilizecognitive behavioral therapyto help you develop strategies to challenge negative thoughts and cognitive distortions.
Notice Your Patterns
The first step toward change is to become more aware of the problem.
Journaling can be an effective tool for examining your inner process and spotting harmful patterns.
Saying this aloud will be more powerful.
you might try this strategy in your daily life.
In your self-talk, turning more powerful negative words to more neutral ones can actually help neutralize your experience.
Instead of using words like hate and angry (as in, Ihatetraffic!
It makes me soangry!
Negative to Neutral or Positive
As you find yourself mentally complaining about something, rethink your assumptions.
Are you assuming something is a negative event when it isnt, necessarily?
Self-Limiting Statements to Questions
Self-limiting statements like I cant handle this!
or This is impossible!
are particularly damaging because they increase your stress in a given situationandthey stop you from searching for solutions.
Doesnt “Howcan I handle this?”
or “Howis this possible?”
sound more hopeful and open up your imagination to new possibilities?
Take notice whenever you engage in negative self-talk, and then work to replace those thoughts with positive ones.
It takes time and effort, but the results are well worth it.
If you struggle to use positive self-talk, consider talking to a mental health professional.
They can use techniques like cognitive reframing or cognitive restructuring to help change how you speak to yourself.
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