3 Ways To Stop Negative Self-Talk

You become what you think about

I have had a hard time with negative self-talk, it was a struggle for me for a long time. Everyone has that inner voice, it’s meant to be helpful, to guide us along. Sometimes it becomes excessive and negative. It can cause a lot of chaos in your life. It can affect your ability to be successful, limiting belief in yourself.

Negative self-talk is linked to depression and anxiety. It can cause limited thinking and low self-esteem. The more you tell yourself you can’t do something, the more you believe you can’t. It can also alter your perception, causing you to pick apart everything you do. Thinking nothing you do is good enough, “Perfectionism.”

I was constantly put down as a child, causing it to become a habit to put myself down. It would put myself down before someone else could do it. I carried this low self-esteem into adulthood. It caused many problems for me, but I found three ways to overcome it.

Replace negative with positive

Every time you start to put yourself down, replace it with positive words. Instead of saying I can’t, say I can, instead of saying I’m worthless, say I am worthy. It will take some time, but you will get better at it. You will see your negative thoughts start to change for the better. This will help build positive self-esteem.

Meditation and mindfulness

Meditation and mindfulness are a great way to help you change your internal dialogue. Replacing negative self talk with positive self-talk. It helps reduce stress, anxiety, and symptoms of depression.

There are many free videos online that you can use. I started with breathing meditation. Set a timer for at least five minutes, get comfortable in a quiet spot, close your eyes and concentrate on breathing in and out. Thoughts will come. When they do, bring your concentration back to your breathing. No matter how many times your mind starts to wonder, bring your concentration back to your breathing. It will become easier as you practice meditation.

There are many other meditations that can help with reducing negative self-talk and boosting self-esteem.

Affirmations

Affirmations are positive sentences that you can write and say aloud to yourself several times a day. If part of your negative self-talk is saying, ‘I’m so stupid.” You could write, ‘I am smart.’

Affirmations are successfully to build self-esteem. Reduce stress and anxiety, and help with depression.

You can use affirmations in any situation you would like to see better results. Examples: reduce stress and anxiety, change a bad habit. Improve self-esteem, become more productive, and control negative feelings and negative self-talk.

I personally use the 369 method. I use it every day with great results. It is easy to use. Let’s take the example I used earlier, ‘I’m so stupid.’ I would write, I am smart, 3 times when I wake up, 6 times in the afternoon, and 9 times before going to bed. I do the same affirmation for 33 days. It is helpful to say it aloud, as you write your affirmation.

It might seem like a hassle at first, but it was not. It doesn’t take very long, and I have come to enjoy doing it. It makes me feel better, helps my confidence, and improves my self-esteem. It retrains your brain to be positive.

I have made a 369 manifestation journal. Published on Amazon. Click here for more information.

Final thought

“You become what you think about all day long.” Earl Nightingale, 1956

This is a quote from Earl Nightingale from the book he wrote, “The Strangest Secret”. He teaches people the power of the mind and thoughts.

How thoughts change your reality

Thoughts create feelings, then our bodies react and make us act in that way. Our thought patterns create a mental connection in our brains. As we repeat these thoughts and reactions, it becomes a subconscious behavior that runs automatically. If you want to truly change your life, you must change your thoughts. It will take time and patience, but it can be done with persistence, patience and self-care.

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Final thought

Remember to give yourself a break. None of us are perfect, we all make mistakes. That’s how we learn. You make a mistake, you learn from it. Pick yourself back up and try again. Keep moving forward.