What is Positive Self-Talk?

What is Self-talk?

Self-talk is a continuous running dialogue inside our heads. This dialogue can range from giving ourselves instructions while performing a task to maintaining random observations about our surroundings or a circumstance. Your subconscious mind influences it and it reveals your thoughts, beliefs, questions and ideas.

Why Self-talk is important?

Self-talk can help you enhance your performance and general well-being. Self-talk can be both positive and negative. It can be both encouraging and distressing. Much of your self-talk is influenced by your personality.

What is Positive Self-talk?

Throughout the day, we all have a running dialogue with ourself. We have the alternative to fill our days or thoughts on life with positive self-talk, whether it’s personal commentary, the events of the day or musings on life.

Defining Positive Self-talk

Consider self-talk as your inner voice. While you may not have been mindful of it before, you have practiced self-talk throughout your entire life. It is the constant running commentary always going on in the background and it shapes how you see yourself and the world around you.

Positive self-talk is an internal monologue that makes you feel good about yourself and everything about your life. It is an optimistic voice in your head that encourages you to see the positive side of things.

Positive Vs Negative Self-talk

Our self-talk tendencies are much too often negative. We focus on preconceived notions that we are “not good enough” or “always a failure” or “cannot do anything well”. Because our brains are designed to remember negative experiences over positive ones, we remember the instances when we didn’t quite get it right more than the times when we did. These messages are then replayed in our thoughts, fuelling negative feelings.

Positive self-talk is more about demonstrating self-compassion and understanding for who you are and what you have gone through. Positive self-talk shifts our internal narrative to ideas such as “I can do better next time” or “I choose to learn from my mistakes than be held back by them”.

People with positive self-talk may have mental abilities that allow them to solve issues, think differently and cope with adversity more effectively.

Positive self-talk and a more cheerful mindset can have additional health benefits including-

• Increased vitality
• Greater life satisfaction
• Improved immune function
• Improved physical well-being
• Less stress and distress
• Better cardiovascular health

How does it function?

You must first identify negative thinking before you can begin to practice more self-talk. This style of thinking and self-talk is generally classified into four types:

• Personalizing. You blame yourself for everything.
• Magnifying. You concentrate on the negative aspects of a situation while dismissing the positive.
• Catastrophizing. You expect the worst and rarely allow logic or reason to persuade you otherwise.
• Polarizing. You only perceive the world in black and white, or as good or bad. There is no in between or middle ground when it comes to processing and categorizing life events.

However, Ink it

In relation to each of the ideas you have outlined, ask yourself the following questions:

• Am I overreacting? Is it really that significant? Is it worthwhile in the long run?
• Am I overgeneralizing? Am I coming to a conclusion based on opinion or experience rather than facts?
• Am I reading people’s mind reading? Am I presuming people have certain ideas or feel a certain way? Am I speculating on how they’ll react?
• Am I severely labelling myself harshly? Do you describe yourself using words like “stupid,” “hopeless,” or “fat?”
• Is this an all-or-nothing idea? Am I viewing a single incident as either good or bad without understanding that reality is rarely black and white? The answer is usually somewhere in the middle.
• How true and accurate is this thought? Take a step back and assess the thought’s accuracy as a friend might.

Switch gears

You now have a better grasp of how your inner thoughts are distorted. It’s time to shift gears and learn a new way of self-talk. Reread your list of thoughts and rephrase them in a kinder, more positive tone. This task takes practice and time to master and it doesn’t develop overnight. The good news is that it is feasible. These scenarios demonstrate when and how you can transform negative self-talk into positive self-talk.

What are some examples?

Recognizing some of your own negative self-talk in these instances may help you acquire the ability to flip the thought when it emerges.

Negative: If I change my opinion, I will disappoint everyone.

Positive: I have the ability to change my viewpoint. Others will understand.

Negative: I failed and embarrassed myself.

Positive: I’m proud of myself for even trying. That took courage.

Negative: I’m overweight and out of shape. I’d be better off not bothering.

Positive: I am capable and strong and I want to improve my health for myself.

Negative: I’ve never done anything like this before and I’ll be terrible at it.

Positive: This is a wonderful opportunity for me to learn from others and grow.

Negative: There’s no chance this is going to work.

Positive: I can and will do everything in my ability to make it work.

How will I put this to use on a daily basis?

If positive self-talk is not your natural instinct, it takes practice. If you’re generally more pessimistic by nature, you can learn to change your inner dialogue to be more encouraging and uplifting.

Creating a new habit, on the other hand, takes time and effort. Your thoughts might change overtime. Positive self-talk might become the norm for you.

These pointers may be helpful:

• Identify negative self-talk traps. Certain situations may enhance your self-doubt and cause you to engage in more negative self-talk. Workplace events, for example, might be particularly difficult. Identifying the times when you experience the most negative self-talk can help you anticipate and prepare.
• Pay attention to your feelings. Stop in the middle of an event or a terrible day and evaluate your self-talk. Is it turning negative? How can you turn it around totally?
• Look for the humour. Laughter has been seen to help relieve stress and anxiety. Find ways to chuckle, when you need a boost for positive self-talk, such as watching funny animal videos or listening to a comedian.
• Surround yourself with positive people. You can absorb the outlook and emotions of others around you, whether you notice it or not. This includes both negative and positive people, so choose positive people wherever possible.
• Repeat positive affirmations to yourself. Positive words or inspiring images can sometimes be enough to redirect your thoughts. Place little reminders in your office, home, and other places where you spend a significant amount of time.