Do you go throughout the day with an internal script that you run? It may seem strange, but we all do this. We all have internal self-talk. Is yours negative or positive?
Stop for a second and listen to the script or thoughts that race throughout your mind. Are they calm and focused or anxious and worrisome?
Many of us go through this for years, decades, or entire lifetimes without truly paying attention to how our negative self-talk could really be affecting us.
What Have I Been Thinking?
Take a few moments during the day to simply observe what you are thinking. Don’t try to stop and analyze or put yourself down for having those thoughts, just simply observe. After, doing this for a few minutes at a time throughout your day, you will come to understand where your thoughts are originating from a place of peace or worry.
Are they mostly negative or positive? Are you fixated on something that happened a few months ago or a few years ago? How productive are these thoughts to your mind? How do they lead to a more productive better version of yourself?
Thinking this through will help you gauge where your thoughts are hovering- remembering that your thoughts very much affect your mind and your quality of life!
If your self-talk is negative, it could be detrimental to your mental health, physical health, and self-esteem.
Can My Thoughts Affect My Body?
Negative emotions set off a chain reaction in our bodies.
When we are in a constant state of living in an emotional crisis,(real or created in our minds) our cortisol levels rise, which can cause anxiety and depression. As well as, weight gain, headaches, and heart disease.
For more on the health implications of having high cortisol levels, click HERE.
How Do You Deal With These Constantly Swirling Negative Thoughts?
Here Are A Few Tips:
Train Your Brain- Like any other unwanted behavior in your life such as smoking, or biting your nails, it takes practice to kick the habit. You have to re-train your brain away from these negative thoughts and into more positive ones.
When your brain wants to go back to its comfortable place of thinking of the worst-case scenarios and what if’s, Imagine the complete opposite of that thought at that exact moment.
If you are envisioning having a terrible first date, change that scenario into one where you will have a fantastic 1stdate.
Remember this will take time, you have to unlearn what took years to learn.
Reality Test Your thoughts
This is a kicker many of us have these thoughts running around our heads that are not built on reality. A thought that gives you so much fear, but if you really thought about it there is really a small chance that it could happen
For example, I was always afraid of falling onto subway train tracks as a kid. I always stood far away and took every precaution ….another example
Create a Gratitude Journal
Sometimes we lose ourselves in the everyday monotony of life. How about you focus on the everyday miracles of life? If you spend your day thinking of all the amazing gifts you have in your life (no matter how small), eventually, that is what you will focus on.
A gratitude journal is great for this, you simply write down what you are thankful for every night before bed. At the end of the week, review all the things you were grateful for.
I also have a gratitude jar. You simply write a note whenever the mood strikes and put it in your jar. By the end of the year, you can open it up and see all the wonderful things you have been grateful for! Amazing right?
Seek Support
If the thoughts are too overwhelming, then maybe it is best for you to seek some support. You can meet with a mental health professional who can help you work through your past traumas and feelings that are affecting your mental health.
I hope these steps help you find peace. Remember progress takes time. Be kind and patient with yourself!
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