Three Ways to Stop Negative Self Talk
It’s hard to stay positive when everything around us right now feels uncertain and daunting. The current pandemic’s 1st anniversary is coming up quick and even now, almost a year later, it still takes me a moment to re-acclimate and accept that this new reality is now real life. 2020 was the most trash dumpster of a year but that doesn’t mean we should let it define our experiences. Negative self talk is the catalyst for creating a bad outlook which trickles into feelings of ungratefulness, unworthiness and other emotions that can lead us into a spiral of depression. But you can stop it. You can reframe your way of thinking by looking at life with positive mechanisms, which in turn teaches us to be more grateful, happy and fulfilled despite the circumstances that surround us.
Here are 3 ways to stop negative self talk in its tracks:
Identify your thoughts with a simple question: “Well, who said that?”
When you Identify a negative thought that enters your mind, learn how to trigger and turn the thought around and say “Well, who said that?” Most likely, the base of negative thoughts is fear and assumption and the bad thought or feeling really have no root to exist.
Strategize
Our brains are programmed to fight or flight in order for us to survive, but sometimes it can go overboard. It’s easy to fall into a pattern of negative thought when we are constantly worried or unprepared. Pinpoint the negative thoughts in your mind and take some time to create a quick strategy if ever these “worse case scenarios” truly do happen. Knowing that there is an answer or solution - or simply knowing that you will survive - will help to halt or slow down any internal negative monologue.
Bring in the ifs, ands, or buts
Most of us have been raised with a mentality of no excuses. So ifs, ands, or buts can be frowned upon. But when dealing with a negative thought these no ifs, ands, or buts are more than welcome. When a negative thought comes to mind, think of the right excuses and know that your thought are valid but they are not final. Ex. “Quarantine has made me gain 30 lbs… BUT I am healthy at home and IF I want I can slowly work on getting fit again tomorrow with a socially distanced walk.” or “I feel so trapped in this pandemic… BUT this is only temporary and thanks to a vaccine, we can one day safely be together in person again.”
Repeat these strategies until you find yourself needing to do it less and less often. It’s small but mighty ways to get out of any negative funk during these unprecedented times and for the rest of your life.
