Health & wellness

Power Of Positive Self – Talk And How To Do It

Power of Self-Talk

Power Of Positive Self – Talk And How To Do It

 

“You live the words you tell yourself in your mind.”

— Dr. Magdalena Battles

 

What is self-talk?

 

Many people are conscious of an inner voice that provides a running monologue throughout the day and even into the night. Cheerful and supportive or negative and self-defeating, this internal chatter is referred to as self-talk.

Your thoughts are the source of your emotions and mood. The conversations you have with yourself can be destructive or beneficial. They influence how you feel about yourself and how you respond to events in your life.

People are becoming more aware that positive self-talk is a powerful tool for increasing your self-confidence and curbing negative emotions. People who can master positive self-talk are thought to be more confident, motivated, and productive.

Positive self-talk is not self-deception.  It is not mentally looking at circumstances with eyes that see only what you want to see.  Rather, positive self-talk is about recognizing the truth, in situations and in yourself

Examples: ‘I am doing the best I can’, ‘I can totally make it through this exam’, ‘I don’t feel great right now, but things could be worse’

Self-talk is a huge part of our self-esteem and confidence. By working on replacing negative self-talk with more positive self-talk, you are more likely to feel in control of things that’s going on in your life and to achieve your goals.

If you believe your self-talk is too negative or if you want to emphasize positive self-talk, you can learn to shift that inner dialogue. It can help you be a more positive person, and it may improve your health.

 

What will positive self-talk provide you?

 

The messages you send yourself can either help you succeed, or they can hold you back and keep you paralyzed in fear. Self-talk can enhance your performance and general well-being.

Positive self-talk and a more optimistic outlook can have other health benefits, including:

  • increased vitality
  • greater life satisfaction
  • improved immune function
  • better cardiovascular health
  • better physical well-being
  • less stress

 

When you begin to recognize your types of negative thinking, you can work to turn them into positive thinking.

The things you must stop doing are –

  • blame yourself for everything
  • you always focus on the negative aspect of the situation
  • tend to ignore any positive aspect
  • expect the worst out of a situation
  • you don’t let logic/reason to persuade you
  • don’t see a middle ground (either bad or bad)

The process of changing the negative self-talk to positive self-talk is not an overnight process but the good news is that – it is very much possible.

 

How to eradicate negative self-talk and implant positive self-talk?

Positive self talk

Image source – Complete Runner

 

  1. Listen to what you are saying to yourself.
  2. Keep noticing what your inner voice is saying.
  3. Take a note if your self-talk is more positive or negative.
  4. Make notes every day of what you are thinking.
  5. Start challenging your self-talk.
  6. Try to find out if there’s an actual evidence of what (negative) you are saying to yourself.
  7. Think about what will you tell your friend if they were in a similar situation.
  8. Figure out if there is something you can change about the thing that you are feeling bad about.
  9. Start changing your self-talk.
  10. Make a list of all the positive things in you.

 

Ways to practice positive self-talk

 

  • Be grateful
  • Cut overly negative people out of your life
  • Don’t compare yourself with others
  • Use positive words when you speak for yourself or with others
  • Don’t fear failure
  • Believe in yourself and your abilities
  • Set a goal/purpose higher than yourself
  • Replace your negative thoughts with positive
  • Keep affirming positively (I am proud of myself for, I will choose happiness today, I am in charge of how I feel today, etc)
  • Don’t dwell in the past
  • Laugh it off (watch comedy movies, hang out with friends, etc)
  • Visualize your success
  • Be active physically
  • Help other people
  • Be kind and empathetic

 

Positive self-talk can help you improve your outlook on life. It can also have lasting positive health benefits, including improved well-being and a better quality of life. However, self-talk is a habit made over a lifetime.

When negative events or mistakes happen, positive self-talk seeks to bring the positive out of the negative to help you do better, go further, or just keep moving forward.  The practice of positive self-talk is often the process that allows you to discover the obscured optimism, hope, and joy in any given situation.

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