< Go Back Positive self-talk helps you get more out of life Posted: Feb 3, 2021Most
of us have a lot of chatter going on in our minds and much of it is negative,
resulting in a feeling of "I can't."
Obviously,
this isn't good if we're trying to get the most out of our lives. If you can't tame
your self-talk, life is much more difficult. However, if you create a mental environment
full of positive self-talk, you'll be happier and much more successful.
These
techniques will help you get your negative self-talk under control and foster a
positive mental environment instead:
1.
Learn
to focus on what you're doing. At all
times, make an effort to only think about what you're currently doing. In spite of what many people believe, we can
only effectively think about one thing at a time. However, we are very good at rapidly switching
back and forth between multiple items.
2.
Recognize
negative thoughts. No matter how good
your focus is, there will still be times that negative thoughts make their way
into your consciousness. The trick is to
recognize that it's happening and then calmly turn your thoughts back to your
current task.
3.
Take
control. If you're doing an activity that lends itself to a wandering mind,
like driving down the motorway for 300 miles, you can intentionally focus your
thoughts on positive self-talk. A good
place to start would be the opposite of the negative self-talk that you too
often experience. Your positive
self-talk becomes the truth over time.
4.
Think
of times the opposite is true. So the next time you think, "I'm not good
at being sociable,” think about the times in your life when you were sociable. Strive to find proof of the opposite and
remind yourself of those times every time the negative self-talk pops up.
Negative self-talk is
extremely common but it's largely just a bad habit. You can control your thoughts. Have the intention of focusing on the task at
hand and replace the negative self-talk with positive. It takes time, but it really is that simple.
This extract is reproduced with thanks from Angie Climer's excellent e-book - 'Stuck in a Rut?: Top 8 Strategies for Getting More out of Your Life''
