As a first time blogger, I was tempted to start off with a disclaimer about how not to expect too much, when I realized that this is what so many of us do each day. Throughout our day we talk to ourselves and often the phrases that are echoing through our heads are not very nice. Internal self-talk contributes to your mood, motivation, and success rate. Negative thoughts can cause anxiety, lead to depression, or even suicidal thoughts.Learning how to change the little repetitive phrases we say to ourselves takes time, but it starts with recognizing them in the first place.
Here is a short list of common negative internal thoughts
1. I’m so stupid
Examine this statement and rate it against reality. Do you have a high school degree? Are you successful in your occupation? Most of us are able to identify at least one area of strength. Change the thought from “I’m so stupid”, to “what I did was not so smart”. This depersonalizes the statement and allows it to be more about a specific incident.
2. I’m not good enough
This is my own personal favorite to say to myself. It implies that I will not succeed in whatever the task may be, therefore why even start? Changing this statement to maybe I won’t be the best but at least I tried,” helps create confidence to attempt
difficult tasks.
3. Everybody hates me
This is an example of all or nothing thinking. It is not true because, well, first of all not everybody knows you, so they cannot hate you. It may be true that there are people in your life that are displeased, but most of them probably have their own hidden skeletons. Ask for forgiveness and forgive yourself as well.
4. Today is a horrible day
Oftentimes people make blanket statements about how the day is going. This leads to assumptions that nothing good can come for the remaining day. However, each day is filled with positive and negative events. Being able to step back and recognize the difference lets you move forward even if something bad has happened.
Remember that you are human, we each are. No one of us is perfect. Change that voice inside your head and start being kind to the person who deserves it most…YOU!
By: S. Corey Hart, MA, LPC
Here is a short list of common negative internal thoughts
1. I’m so stupid
Examine this statement and rate it against reality. Do you have a high school degree? Are you successful in your occupation? Most of us are able to identify at least one area of strength. Change the thought from “I’m so stupid”, to “what I did was not so smart”. This depersonalizes the statement and allows it to be more about a specific incident.
2. I’m not good enough
This is my own personal favorite to say to myself. It implies that I will not succeed in whatever the task may be, therefore why even start? Changing this statement to maybe I won’t be the best but at least I tried,” helps create confidence to attempt
difficult tasks.
3. Everybody hates me
This is an example of all or nothing thinking. It is not true because, well, first of all not everybody knows you, so they cannot hate you. It may be true that there are people in your life that are displeased, but most of them probably have their own hidden skeletons. Ask for forgiveness and forgive yourself as well.
4. Today is a horrible day
Oftentimes people make blanket statements about how the day is going. This leads to assumptions that nothing good can come for the remaining day. However, each day is filled with positive and negative events. Being able to step back and recognize the difference lets you move forward even if something bad has happened.
Remember that you are human, we each are. No one of us is perfect. Change that voice inside your head and start being kind to the person who deserves it most…YOU!
By: S. Corey Hart, MA, LPC
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