Negative self-talk can be harmful to our health physically and mentally. Negative self-talk is when we talk to ourselves in a way that puts ourselves down or when we judge ourselves such as “Why do I always do that?!” “I’m so dumb!” Here are some tips from an article that can be helpful (link to article below).
1. Reality testing
- What is my evidence for and against my thinking?
- Are my thoughts factual, or are they just my interpretations?
- Am I jumping to negative conclusions?
- How can I find out if my thoughts are actually true?
2. Look for alternative explanations
- Are there any other ways that I could look at this situation?
- What else could this mean?
- If I were being positive, how would I perceive this situation?
3. Putting it in perspective
- Is this situation as bad as I am making out to be?
- What is the worst thing that could happen? How likely is it?
- What is the best thing that could happen?
- What is most likely to happen?
- Is there anything good about this situation?
- Will this matter in five years time?
4. Using goal-directed thinking
- Is thinking this way helping me to feel good or to achieve my goals?
- What can I do that will help me solve the problem?
- Is there something I can learn from this situation, to help me do it better next time?
If you’d like to read the whole article it is located here:
https://psychcentral.com/lib/challenging-negative-self-talk/