The way that you speak to yourself has an incredible impact on your mental health. 

Negative self-talk is often so sneaky that without realizing it, we become our own worst enemies, stripping ourselves of self-confidence and peace of mind. When you experience hardships, or feel guilty for mistakes or poor choices, this becomes worse. Left unchecked, self-talk can become the 24/7 bully inside your own head.

Fixing it? This is actually easier than you might think, but it does require intentional effort to begin to reset the neural pathways in your brain that have been created by rethinking the same unhealthy thoughts. 

Therapy can be very helpful in identifying some of these automatic negative thoughts in real time during a session, but paying attention to what you think outside of the session matters too. Try these techniques today and share with your therapist to help deepen the work that you are able to do together. 

Write it Down

Keeping a journal is a great way to get a handle on what you’re thinking. Try writing down your impressions 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. Re-reading those entries later will give you a picture of just where you are. 

If you hate the idea of staring at a blank page, a guided reflection process can help. What's really important is that you write whatever you think without censoring yourself. 

Just Say “No”

When you catch the negative statements in your head, your job is to stop them before they form. The moment you recognize your self-talk shifting to something less than uplifting, you need to say ‘no’ to it immediately. Say the word “Stop” out loud if you need to.

Tone it Down

What word can you change in the negative thought to take the sting out? Instead of ‘stupid’ perhaps you were ‘mistaken.’ Instead of ‘slow’ maybe you’re ‘thoughtful.’ By paying attention to your words you’ll automatically start shifting your self-talk to the more positive.

Switch Sides

Make a game of 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.

Question Everything

Instead of listening to negative assumptions, turn them into questions. For example, “That’s impossible” can become “How can I make that possible?” Questions look for solutions while statements are already decisive.

Walking through this process with a qualified mental health professional can make it even easier to spot and address these negative patterns, even helping you recognize hidden places where they may be sabotaging your best efforts. To schedule a session call 317-471-8996 or email us to learn more.