Avoid Negative Self Talk

Being negative towards ourselves comes in many different forms, making it easy to fall in this dangerous trap. From thinking you cannot do something, to thinking you did something wrong, negative self talk can be detrimental to our relationships, physical health, and mental health. This is why it is important to recognize and limit your negative self-talk so that you can be more positive toward yourself! The first step of limiting negative self talk is to be more aware of when you do it and how you do it. If you can take another step and identify the possible reasons you do it, that is even better! For example, do you do it more in the morning or at night? Do you discourage yourself from doing things or do you more so comment on your appearance? Are you tired or hungry when you implement negative self-talk? By recognizing these attributes of your own negative self-talk, you are being more in tune with your thoughts and therefore allowing yourself to catch the negative ones. 

To work on limiting negative self-talk, you can challenge them through small tricks. For one, write or think about a list of your positive attributes that you like about yourself. Find ones that you sometimes take for granted or the ones that make you unique! On the topic of uniqueness, another way to limit negative self-talk is to let go of ideas of perfection and not compare yourself to others. Everyone has their own lives, attributes, and ideas! Each of these things make everyone who they are. With this being said, focus on not letting other people’s lives and ideas get in the way of your own thinking and life. Recognize that perfection is so ambiguous and that everyone can be perfect in their own way! Lastly, praise the smaller things you do in your everyday life. This trick is a great way to not only limit negative self-talk but to increase positive ones. Practicing with small things such as not hitting snooze on your alarm, or getting to work on time can be great ways to tap yourself on the shoulder and practice positive interactions with your own self!