In the privacy of our minds, we all talk to ourselves. Self-talk is what happens when you make yourself the target of your own comments, advice or reminders. It’s like a subset of thinking. You’re having a conversation with yourself. And the words you say to yourself can change the way you see yourself.
Self-talk can be positive or negative. When you talk to yourself, you believe yourself, and you are the most important person that you listen to. The most important and powerful suggestions you hear will come from your own self-talk. So it literally goes without saying that your self-talk makes a huge difference in both your mood and your behavior.
Many people have triggers that lead to feelings of depression, anxiety, and anger. They go through their lives not understanding that their own thinking and negative self-talk leads to this. There’s no amount of external validation that can undo the constant drone of internal criticism. And negative self talk is often hungry for external corroboration. One little voice in the ether that agrees with your internal critic is enough to put you in a tailspin.
We all mess up sometimes. We can’t avoid mistakes, but we can avoid the harsh self-talk we often punish ourselves with. Doing so could change your life.
This infographic explains how to use your internal monologue to make yourself do better and most importantly, feel better about what we’re doing.
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