What is Positive Self-Talk?
Positive self-talk is the practice of talking to yourself in a kind, supportive, and encouraging way. It is about replacing negative thoughts with positive ones, and focusing on your strengths and accomplishments.
This kind of self-talk is not about pretending (to yourself or others) to be happy or that you are perfect. And it’s not about ONLY seeing the good in yourself. Positive self-talk is your ability to reframe difficult situations, understanding your abilities and being accepting of your flaws. It is being proactive with your inner voice.
Positive self-talk has been linked to:
In life, wouldn’t you rather see the whole truth?… The whole picture?
So then what service are you doing yourself when you only focus on or speak of the negative aspects of any given situation? Especially when it comes to you and your life.
No service whatsoever.
All of these then help you to reach your goals.
When you are constantly telling yourself things like, “you aren’t”:
- Worthy of losing weight or that you simply can’t do it
- Capable of being healthy
- Deserving of happiness
- Strong enough to join a gym
- Smart enough to start your own business
- Or who are you to go follow your dreams?!…
Do you think you’ll ever actually be able to do any of those things?
NO, you won’t.
If you are always telling yourself that you aren’t smart enough to go back to school or get a better job- Do you think you’ll even take the steps towards trying for any of that?
NO, you won’t.
Whether you tell yourself that you can or cannot, you are right- you will or won't be able to.
Positive self-talk may sound like a bunch of mumbo jumbo to you, but I dare you to go find a successful and happy person who hasn’t had to practice tons of positive self-talk and had it work in their favor.
We all have negative thoughts that creep into our mind- it’s part of being human. But it’s what we do with those thoughts once they are heard that really matters.
Experts at the Mayo Clinic suggest an important ground rule:
“Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else.”
Here are 3 simple ways that you can practice positive self-talk daily:
Limit your exposure to negativity.
That means people, scrolling, situations, environments. Wherever the negativity is, try not to be there.
01
Take a timeout
When you feel a negative thought creep in… STOP… See where it’s coming from (and why), then either remove yourself from the situation that is causing the thoughts, or flip the thought.
02
Change your vocabulary.
Instead of, “I don’t deserve this”, change your words to, “I am worthy of all my dreams and goals.” Or even as simple as “YES I CAN!” when it was once formerly “I can’t.”
03
Some days this will be easier than others, and that is OK.
What’s important is that you work towards being consistent with speaking to yourself in a positive way.
So many of your thoughts were put there by others- both positive and negative.
It is up to you to determine what is real/truth and what is not. Once you become aware then you can work towards healing or being empowered accordingly.
All of this only comes from truly putting in the work.
Making an effort to treat yourself as you would those that you love.
Practice makes better.
And better feels oh so gooood.
Positive Self-Talk is all a part of self-love and self-care. They work in unison together. If you need to know more about what it takes to practice self-love, you can check out this blog to learn more.
Speaking of learning more about all three of these tools, including POSITIVE SELF-TALK, I have a new Ebook out that will tell you all about self-care, self-love & positive self-talk, how to implement these into your daily life, and a habit tracker to begin building healthy habits.
You can click the scrolling text or button below to visit the purchase page and get your instant download.
I HEART ME! A How-To & Habit Tracker for Self-Care, Self-Love & Positive Self-Talk... an eBook!
Purchase Ebook HereRemember This About Positive Self-Talk:
Even when it’s hard, the way you speak to yourself can change your life.
When your battery feels low
It becomes SO easy to stay in a negative self-talk loop. It’s important to check in with your feelings and energy. Don’t let a low battery get the best of how you treat yourself.
Give yourself time
Creating new habits doesn’t happen overnight. The road might feel long on some days, but that is exactly when you need to buckle up and keep pressing forward. You are doing this for the betterment of YOUR LIFE.
Journaling
Can really help you work through your thoughts, feelings, emotions, life questions. You can write, think, feel, express without any judgement. Journaling is a great place to practice changing the negative to positive.
Give yourself grace
You won’t always be perfect- nor should you worry about trying to be. Whether feeling overwhelmed with negativity or stumbling through feeling awkward with positivity, be kind to yourself through all of it. Practice makes improvement and you need to love yourself through every step.
