Our minds never really stop thinking, whether we are conscious of it or not. In fact, it’s been said that we say roughly fifty thousand words to ourselves every day. That’s the length of a novel! With so many words spoken aloud or in our thoughts daily, it’s extremely important to make sure as many of those words are positive, constructive, and as helpful as possible. Unfortunately for many of us, if left unchecked, our minds go in a negative, fearful, or skeptical direction.
I want to share with you 3 tips that you can use to help improve the way you speak to yourself. It can make all the difference in the world!
Awareness Is Key
Make sure your self-talk is helpful. To do that, you need to be aware of what you’re saying to yourself. Begin to notice if there are events or times when you’re more negative or when the inner chatter becomes too noisy. Once you’re aware of the talk that’s holding you back, then you’ll be able to start to make the change. It can be more difficult to be honest with yourself than you’d think. Meditation is a great way to develop the ability to become aware of what you’re saying to yourself. The more you meditate, the more you’ll notice your inner dialogue.
A good exercise is to write down what words or phrases you often use with yourself to see if there are any patterns. Then you can begin to make changes if what you say to yourself if necessary.
Change It Up
When speaking to yourself, if you don’t feel like it’s having the impact you hoped it would, one option is to change the word “I” to the word “You.” Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology claims that using “You” can be more effective than using “I” when speaking to yourself. Using the word “You” allows you to be more objective and use the feedback. For example, instead of saying “I can do this,” you would say “You can do this.” It’s a small change, but sometimes a minor change can make all the difference in the world.
Stay Vigilant
It can be easy to fall back into old habits. For most people, it’s easier to be negative than it is to be positive. Make sure you’re continually checking in with yourself to ensure you’re feeding your brain positive words and images. It’s worth the effort.
These are just a few ways that you can make sure the words and phrases that you use with yourself are helpful and productive in a way that is beneficial to you.
Good luck Silencing Your Inner Rival
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