We all have a critic inside us. Sometimes this voice inside us can actually help individuals to keep focusing on their goals. For example, when this critic inside us reminds us that what we will be eating isn’t good for our health or what we are planning to do may not be good. However, this voice can often cause more harm than being helpful, especially when you step into the domain of negativity by indulging in negative self-talk, which can really affect one’s life disastrously.
ENUMERATION OF NEGATIVE SELF-TALK
Negative self-talk comes in many forms and it is a time to time experience, one cannot simply stay away from it, but it can be transformed sooner or later into positive self-talk. Different studies show people with higher negative self-talk abilities show up with high stress levels and low self-esteem. This inner dialogue is one of the leading causes of depression, stress, anxiety, isolation and insomnia as most people spend their nights thinking why they are not capable of living another day of their life. This also builds up the feeling of helplessness and restlessness in a person. Those who find themselves frequently engaged in negative self-talk keep themselves away from reality, they are the ones who lose those opportunities which they always waited for, but at that time of negative self-talk they don’t find themselves capable of attaining something better. Other than depression, stress, anxiety, isolation and insomnia, negative thoughts and self-talk can cause physical changes. These mental illnesses can also cause eating disorders which may lead to over or under eating.
The toxicity of negative self-talk is much higher than we think. One of the most apparent drawbacks of negative self-talk is that it’s not positive. This sounds naive, but research has shown that positive self-talk is a great predictor of success. It is needed to be understood that reminding ourselves about how to do something is not important than telling ourselves that we are doing something great. Self-appreciation is sometimes the most needed tool in one’s life.
NEGATIVE SELF-TALK TO POSITIVE SELF TALK – HOW?
Negative self-talk encourages a cycle of self-fulfilling predictions and blocks you from seeing the bright side of life. We think we’ll fail, which makes us execute tasks poorly. This also makes us think that we will fail in the future. Changing the way, you talk to yourself helps you in getting out from the pool of sadness you are stuck in.
Following are a few steps one could take in order to turn negative self-talk into positive self-talk:
- Pay attention
The first step in learning how to be more positive is to pay attention to your thinking and accept the fact that you are engaged in negative self-talk. Before rectifying, you first need to accept that there is something you are doing wrong. This self-realization will accompany you with loads of motivation. To your brain the messages you give are just pieces of information and recalling those messages repeatedly will make your brain store them.
- Try to stop the spiral
Firstly, try stopping the spiral by doing things simply to distract yourself. For instance, start counting all the green things you can see or movements of the clouds, choosing a tough word and spelling it backwards in your head and having a peaceful talk with your lord to occupy your mind more positively. Build a positive relationship with your mind.
For some, intense workouts work while for others meditation works. The important thing is not necessarily what you use to stop your spiral, but to learn what works best for you in order to engage you positively.
- Correct Negative Self-Talk with Positive Self-Talk
Take a piece of paper, fold it in half and write the negative thoughts on one side of the paper and on the other write a healthier way to say that same thoughts. Turning the negative talk into positive will take off some burden and darkness inside you, and will aid your healing process. For example, “Nobody will ever love me” changes into “I haven’t yet found the right person.” “I am a failure.” turns into “Working even harder will surely make me succeed.” and so on. These motivational statements will lead you towards positive self-talk and healing.
- Turning negative thoughts into positive
The final step in successfully adopting positive self-talk is to picture your negative thoughts into something positive. To complete this step one must need a reality check on why something happened and what effects it had which should have been dealt with earlier, but our thoughts never let go. For example, a negative thought like, “I am unlovable because I’m not beautiful.” In reality, one’s self-awareness makes them more open to genuine intimacy and love. This is how a negative thought can be manipulated.
Nelumbo consultancy is pro in providing psychological counselling sessions in order to work on stress that is destructing one’s life and add a motivating factor in your life. It is highly recommended to contact Nelumbo consultancy to attain positivity.
