Self Talk
Taking Control of Your Thoughts
Self talk is something we all do. Whether we are fully aware of
what
we say to ourselves or not, we all have things we think or say to ourselves
in our subconscious mind.
The subconscious mind is somewhat of an autopilot of self talk
that replays the very thoughts we have been programmed to think and
believe. These thoughts are thoughts that are based on what we've
learned through personal experience and what we may have learned
from our parents or caretakers as we have grown. From a very young
age, we learn to see ourselves and the world through the words of other
people.
Our brains have been programmed naturally and subconsciously.
Unfortunately, a great majority of the programming we have received
and continually reinforce through our lives is negative self talk.
Negative
thinking, also known as negative self talk, is not only habitual
but it is extremely self defeating and limiting.
So much of what we do or don't do in life depends greatly on
what we tell ourselves on a regular basis. Our self talk is a
reflection of what we believe the most about anything!
How we talk to ourselves starts a chain reaction in our entire
being. Self talk triggers our emotions and feelings and from there
it triggers our attitudes and behaviors. Then finally, these
determine what actions we take in life.
So much of our success, as well as our failures, are determined
by what we believe to be true. Problem is, so many people believe
things that are not true. It is very important to point out
that the brain has a very important job and this is to believe
what you tell it or what you accept as truth from others.
This isn't good for the person who is negative and pessimistic about themselves
or life, but for the person who uses positive self talk throughout
their life, they will have a more positive experience. It truly is,
what you believe it to be.
One of the most powerful things I have ever learned about self
talk is that I do not have to accept every thought that comes into
my mind as truth. For many years, I believed that if I felt a
certain way, then it must be true. I accepted my automatic
subconscious thoughts as fact without questioning them. These
thoughts dictated how I felt about myself, how I viewed others and how I experienced life. They even affected how confident I felt
or whether or not I would takes risks or set goals.
Trust me when I say you do not have to accept every thought that comes into your mind
or adopt any kind of thinking you don't want to accept! The fact is, you can
reprogram your mind to think whatever it is you want to think!
Don't like your thought life or self talk habits? You can change them!
While it is true that it will take time, patience and determination, if you persist
you will notice that how you feel will begin to change. This
will trigger new behaviors and new actions...you will begin to change. You will find
just how many opportunities lay before you and your world will begin to open up in ways you never imagined.
Are you struggling in a certain area of your life? No matter what your issue is,
there is self talk that will help you conquer it and help you reach your goals. You may
recognize something you are struggling with below or perhaps another struggle that isn't listed here.
Either way, you can tailor your own thinking to fit your circumstance.
- Are you tense?
- Are you worried or anxious?
- Are you depressed or angry?
- Do you have a hard time reaching your goals?
- Do you struggle with low self esteem or self confidence?
- Are you overweight?
- Are you tired of feeling overwhelmed?
All these things can be changed and believe it or not, how you talk to yourself will determine
if you will be successful overcoming your personal challenge. No matter what it is, you can learn to
deliberately change unproductive, unhealthy thinking to positive, truthful thinking and you
hold the power inside to change.
So how do you reprogram your mind?
Again, because the brain will believe what you tell it most, you must spend time each day
repeating the new, deliberate, truthful thoughts to yourself. It is only through repetition
that your brain will adopt it's new reprogramming. Then and only then, will you
begin to change the autopilot of your brain to think what is healthy and truthfully
automatically.
You must work hard. If you do not repeat your new self talk enough, your old automatic
thoughts will persist. Like they say, old habits are hard to break
and that includes
your old ways of thinking.
I encourage you to keep pushing forward until you begin to feel differently and you notice
the changes taking place. Once you notice these changes taking place, don't stop! Keep going! Even by repeating
your new thoughts to yourself 15 minutes per day, twice a day for a few weeks will make an amazing
difference in how you think and feel.
Understanding how to talk to yourself properly can be difficult. If you don't know what to say to yourself,
I highly recommend Shad Helmstetter's book, What to Say When you Talk To Yourself
Want some ideas to get you started?
Here are some ideas that will help you get started. Remember, nothing here in written in
stone!
Write down at least 25 positive, truthful statements in the present tense, as if it has already happened. Think of your
truthful statements as statements that could be true if you only believed them to be true.
Try starting each one of your sentences with:
- I am...
- I never...
- I no longer...instead I...
- I like...
- I do not...
Not all your statements have to begin with these. I am just giving them to you
for starters to practice with.
Repeat these statements to yourself for 15 minutes, twice
per day. Perhaps once in the morning before you begin your day and once at the
end before you go to bed.
Either way, you will be reprogramming your mind to think the thoughts you choose to think, which will be deliberate thoughts! Remember, you get to choose
the thoughts you want to think. You are in control, as long as you want to be.
Need Help?
Printable Self Talk Files for your Convenience
I know what you're thinking...."This is a lot of work"! Right?? Well below I have created special sections that will help you get started! I have
even included printable self-talk files for your convenience. So what area do you need help with?
It's time to get to work! :)
** if the link you want isn't available yet, be sure to check back frequently or subscribe to this page to get automatic
updates when new ones have been added. Visit the RSS link at the top right hand
side of this page!
Need Even More Help?
Self talk can go one step further! If you find repeating self talk difficult and you are pressed for time, you can record these statements into a recorder, such as the recorder on your cell phone, so you can simply listen to the statements instead. The brain will accept this method just as effectively, if not more effective, as if you were speaking to yourself aloud.
Interested in Free Pre-Recorded MP3's? Then be sure to visit
Self Talk MP3 Downloads
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