Say What? Minding Your Self-Talk
by Sara Armstrong, MS, RNMarch 01 2010
The Power of Mental Chatter
As anyone who has ever tried to meditate will tell you, our minds are busy every moment of every day! But have you ever slowed down to really listen to your thoughts? You may be stunned at what you discover when you become more aware of your “self-talk.” I certainly was!
I learned that several times throughout the day I would think something negative about myself or my situation. I would find myself thinking, “Don’t be so stupid,” or “You will never get all this done.” You might think these thoughts are fairly innocent. However, psychological studies show that negative self-talk can impact your mood and damage your sense of self worth, in serious cases leading to increased stress and anxiety and even depression.
Isn’t it time to love and accept the one person you’re closest to – YOU?! The first step is increasing your awareness so that you can take action.
Listen: Monitoring the Mental Noise
Since our minds are swirling in thoughts continuously, it can be a challenge to become more conscious of the mind’s content. Learning to listen to our thoughts can take a lifetime of practice, but the pay off is enormous, and you can start in a couple of ways:
• Journaling: Start taking notes throughout the day of your thoughts, especially the thoughts that are related to your abilities, attractiveness, or worth. You may want to count the number of positive and negative thoughts you have about yourself or your situation. Ideally, when you record the ratio of positive to negative thoughts, you want it to be at least 3:1 (or higher on the positive side!).
• Meditation: One of the best ways to increase your self-awareness is through meditation. Although you don’t need any special training or practice, many people like to try a class or pick up a book or CD on the topic to get started. There are many resources available on the internet, including peaceful meditations to get you started. Check them out! Or if you need more direction, try the audio book “Guided Mindfulness Meditation
” title=“Guided Mindfulness Meditations”>Guided Mindfulness Meditations” by Jon Kabat-Zinn for an excellent introduction.
Reframe: Challenge the Self-Talk
Take the time this week to explore your self-talk by utilizing my Reframing Tip. Reframing allows your conscious mind an opportunity to examine your thoughts and inject a dose of self-love, acceptance or humor. After taking the time to record your thoughts, analyze what you’ve said by rethinking the negative comments and challenging them.
You may be surprised by what you learn about yourself when you monitor self-talk – and you will definitely benefit when you begin to express more love and acceptance toward yourself.
Thoughts? Reactions? Please share them with me in the comment section below!
Learn more about the power of Positive Thinking with Sue’s Fitness For All post last week.
Sara Armstrong is the owner of Zoi Wellness Consulting. In addition to wellness coaching, Sara specializes in health education seminars, diabetes prevention and management, Health for EVERY Body, and worksite wellness design. You can email Sara for a free wellness consultation at sara@zoiconsulting.com.
