Why Positive Self Talk Is So Important
Positive self talk is one of the very first steps we can take on our path to becoming physically and emotionally better. Self-love has a huge impact on our health and wellness journey.
It’s really quite simple…
Healing and doing anything that is genuinely good for ourselves is much more difficult when we continue to be hard on ourselves. The reality is that we are our biggest critics and we put a ton of pressure on ourselves.
What typically happens is that we idealize ourselves—we tend to fall in love with an idea of ourselves we created in our heads, a version of ourselves that is perfect.
And, when we don’t live up to that, we end up tormenting ourselves in the worst possible ways.
So I say enough already…let’s cut the negative talk!
Let’s forgive ourselves for not living up to our own expectations and shift that internal monologue from negative to positive self talk.
How Do We Start with Positive Self Talk?
First of all, we breathe.
Usually negative thoughts come up when we’re overwhelmed by a situation, so we first need to remind ourselves to pause and take a deep breath.
Everything doesn’t need to happen or be solved right now.
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Immediately diving into a big undertaking or stressful situation with a tornado of thoughts filled with doubt and negativity won’t do us one bit of good.
We just have today…actually just this moment. And, we can use it to acknowledge how we’re feeling, get a sense of clarity and reassure ourselves!
I often look at myself in the mirror and remind myself that I’m fine…that, whatever it is I’m going through, I will survive just like I’ve survived everything I’ve gone through in the past.
In fact, I haven’t just survived rough times, tough goals or going backwards…I’ve come out the other side so much stronger. 💪
So I suggest that you look straight into that mirror and forgive yourself—for feeling the way you feel and for thinking what you were thinking. Then, give yourself a little positive self pep talk!
This is the assurance you need and it has to come from you.
Now, ask yourself why.
We need to look at why all of the negative self talk is happening.
Is it because you are scared? Or, maybe it’s because you’re angry? It could also just be a habit stemming from the way we were talked to when we were young.
Brutal honesty is key here. You deserve that honesty. It’s only when you’re honest that you fully embrace these thoughts and begin the process of replacing them with positive self talk.
Then, cut yourself some slack!
We often pressure ourselves way too much.
Let’s say you planned to work out three times a week, but on one of those days, you were just off. Your soul was begging for a hot bath and a good book.
The old habit is to start berating yourself…”You can never commit to anything!” and some similar negative thought.
The next time this happens, do this instead:
STOP and take a breath.
Backtrack and see why you might be feeling this way. There’s likely a good reason.
This is probably a good time to have empathy and grace with yourself instead. Right now, at this moment, your soul just needs something else and that’s okay.
Our “hustle culture” has many of thinking that we have to be doing, doing, doing all of the time. That’s a lie!
Cutting ourselves some slack on days when we can’t do certain things is good for us!
Finally, reframe and make a plan.
Once you’ve given your soul what it needs, even if that was just a check in to see what was up, it’s the perfect time to reframe and make a plan to get back on track.
Exercising and eating healthy aren’t supposed to feel like torture. But, it’s not uncommon for many people to habitually expect this, often because all of the negative self talk has them believing they don’t deserve to feel good.
I find what works is starting off small. Maybe you only work out for 10 minutes a day to start. Maybe you just start eating healthy by focusing on one meal at first.
Little successes work wonders! They help motivate us on our journey to do more and more good things for our minds and bodies.
Get Ongoing Support
We all need reminders and refueling along the way on every journey we embark on. This is especially true of health and wellness journeys.
People who are active in supportive accountability groups have MUCH higher success rates than those who aren’t.
My private Soulful Fit Club group on Facebook can be just the support you need to help you with positive self talk and to conquer your goals! Click below to request to join today:
