Be kind: Improve the way you talk to yourself
To help quiet negative self-talk
Many people are more critical with their self than they are with others. In fact, neuroscience research shows that the majority of our self-talk is negative - it’s working against us. These negative thoughts can make us feel angry, irritated, frustrated, hopelessness. Paying more attention to the voice we use on our self, helps us identify the negative way of thinking that may have become habit.
If you want to change the way you communicate with yourself, try the following:
Awareness. In order to create change, you first need to be aware. Start by paying attention to how you talk to yourself and the impact of those words.
Replace words. The easiest way to erase certain word from your inner-dialogue is to replace the with others. Try replacing:
“I can’t” with “I will.”
“I have to” with “I want to.”
“I should” with “I choose to.”
Pause, reflect and talk. As you become more aware of the words you use, practice reflection. Pause for a couple of seconds.
Evaluate your thoughts. Is that hurtful or helpful?
Reflect on the words you were using. If they hurt you, go back and see how you can ‘erase-and-replace’ those words.