Negative self-talk impacts your life in many more ways than you can ever think or imagine. Without even realizing it, we can become our own worst enemies, stripping ourselves of self-confidence and peace of mind. If left unchecked, this lack of positivity in our lives can start affecting many areas of our health, leaving us worried and stressed, sometimes sick, and unable to relax.
Fixing it? It’s not an impossibility. It can become an inevitability. This is actually easier than you think. It all starts with positive self-talk and following these six practical steps.
You start by catching yourself in the act. These three steps will put the brakes on negative self-talk instantly before it can gain a foothold:
Keeping a journal is a great way to get a handle on what you’re feeling and thinking. Try writing down your impressions or reflections of the day before bed. This allows you to let go of feelings that might fester if allowed to run unchecked when you’re trying to sleep. By simply re-reading those entries later, it will give you a glimpse of where you are. It might be you’ve been more negative lately than you thought.
When you catch the negative statements in your head, your first job is to stop them before they form. You may have a negative thought that creeps up trying to build a proverbial mental nest. Don’t let those thoughts hatch. The moment you recognize your self-talk shifting to something less than encouraging or uplifting, you need to say ‘no’ to it immediately. Disrupt, dispute, and dismantle those thoughts. Even say the word “Stop” out loud if you need to.
Psychologists have advised this therapy for years to stop negative thoughts in their tracks. You simply place a rubber band around your wrist (find one that doesn’t fit too snugly). Simply snap the rubber band whenever you have a negative thought trying to creep up on you. Eventually, you’ll find yourself stopping those thoughts automatically just to avoid the ‘punishment.’
Stopping the negative thought is one thing but replacing them is another. Next, try following these three steps to put positive self-talk in action:
What word can you change in the negative thought to take the sting out? Are there any? Instead of saying or calling yourself ‘stupid’ or an ‘idiot’ perhaps you were just ‘mistaken.’ Instead of ‘slow’ maybe you’re being ‘mindful’ or ‘thoughtful.’ Remember the tongue(even in our minds) speaks life or it can speak death. By paying attention to your words, you’ll automatically start shifting your self-talk from the slow death that is negative and overly critical toward the more life sustaining positive.
Make a game of it. Have a little fun with it. Every time you hear yourself making a statement in your head, ask yourself if you can somehow reword things to make your words neutral or even positive. See how many of these thoughts you can change.
Instead of listening to negative assumptions, turn them into questions. For example, “That’s impossible” can become “How can I make that possible?” Questions can be tools we use to help us look for solutions while statements often times are already decisive and tend to be more definitive.
By tracking what you do and acting with intentionality to change the situation, you’ll discover life looks a lot more differently. You’ll notice that you’re feeling more relaxed and can even embrace optimism. You will start liking yourself a little more. You begin believing in yourself more. We start to change our expectations. It’s here where you start discovering the potential you’ve been holding all along.
Want help or accountability with putting these steps into action? Schedule a meeting with the Total Wellness Architect now by going to www.calendly.com/billboardz360 or just shoot an email to billboardz360@gmail.com.
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