Talk to Me Nice! How to Change Our Self-Talk
“Change your thoughts, and you change your world.” ~Norman Vincent Peale
Have you ever heard of the term, “Self-talk?”
It can be described as an inner-chatter. It begins from the moment we wake up and continues until we fall asleep. What our inner voice has to say plays a significant role in our lives.
An important part of my work with my clients is to increase awareness of this stream of consciousness that often focuses on the self.
When self-talk is positive, it can lead to amazing outcomes. However, when it’s negative, it can make life much more challenging than it needs to be. It’s like having a critic inside your head, constantly pointing out your flaws and failures.
Our self-talk has many sources, and continues to be molded by our experiences and environment.
It’s difficult to believe anything other than what our minds are telling us. Our beliefs greatly affect our mood and ultimately dictate the course of our life. If you find yourself caught up in negative self-talk, it can be challenging but so rewarding to work on changing that pattern!
You can start working on shifting your self-talk from negative to positive today!
Here are some tips:
First, make it a priority to monitor your thoughts for at least 1 full day, to up to a week. Write down all the thoughts that you are aware of that are critical, negative, judgmental, mean, etc.
Once you have created your log or list of thoughts, take some time to journal about it. Here are some prompts:
How does reading these thoughts make me feel?
Would I talk to someone I care about in this way?
How does this Self-Talk tone keep me from ______ [insert a goal or a desire]?
Now that you have increased your awareness, create a new list of statements that you can begin countering those negative beliefs with whenever you become aware in the moment.
Here’s an example:
Negative Thought: “I’ll never graduate from this program because I’m too lazy to study.”
This type of thought can contribute to someone putting in less effort into their program because they believe that they don’t have what it takes to succeed.
New Statement: “I’m struggling to find study habits that work for me right now, but I know I can figure this out!”
This takes practice! Be sure to keep both lists in a place where you can review them several times. Also, be sure to add to the lists as you make progress, or discover new thought patterns.
Positive self-talk can be a powerful tool for improving your life. It can boost your confidence, improve your mood, and even help you achieve your goals. But changing your self-talk requires diligence and practice. Each time you catch yourself engaging in negative self-talk, substitute it with the new, positive self-talk expression.
I hope this helped! Please let me know if you try this strategy, by leaving a comment!
