Combat negative self-talk
April 10 is National Erase Self-Negativity Day– a day to focus on taking steps toward erasing the influence negative self-talk has on our lives.
Negative self-talk is our inner voice making mean-spirited, negative, critical, judging, and punishing comments about ourselves. This inner dialogue limits our ability to believe in ourselves, have confidence in our own abilities, and make positive changes in our lives to reach our potential. Negative talk, pessimism, and unfair critical thoughts of ourselves significantly damages our self-esteem over time and can be devastating for our mental well-being. It undercuts our motivation, leaves us susceptible to mental health problems, and makes it harder to be successful in life.
It looks like and sounds like…
- Grounded (“I’m not good at this, so I should avoid attempting it for my own personal safety.”)
- Mean (“I can never do anything right!”)
- Hopeless (“I don’t deserve to be happy!”)
- Apathetic (“I’ll fail anyways, so what’s the point of trying.”)
- Defeated (“That looks really hard. Even if I tried, I’d never be able to do it.”
- Deficit-focused (Identifying downfalls and shortcomings)
Changing this negative habit into a time of personal empowerment is good for our health!
Tips and strategies to combat negative self-talk.
Different strategies work better for different people, so try a few on and see which ones are most effective for you. Select one strategy. Monitor and track your efforts to do. Tell just one person about your efforts to curb negative self-talk. They can support, encourage and celebrate your efforts to replace negative self-talk with positive self-talk.
Catch Your Critic: Notice when you’re being self-critical so you can begin to stop.
Remember That Thoughts Are Not Facts: Thoughts can be skewed like everyone else’s, subject to biases and the influence of your moods.
Treat Yourself Like a Friend: When you catch yourself speaking negatively in your head—make it a point to imagine yourself saying this to a treasured friend.
Replace the Bad With Some Good: Replace a negative thought and change it to something encouraging that’s also accurate.
If you still struggle to keep those negative thoughts under control, consider talking to a mental health professional.
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