Self-talk is the internal dialogue that you have running through your head. These are automatic thoughts that can be positive or negative. If the thoughts that we have about ourselves are always negative, it can harm our mental health.
Shifting our self-talk to be positive can improve our outlook on life, our ability to cope with stress, decrease rates of depression, and can improve our overall quality of life. To start practicing positive self-talk, make a point to say something positive about yourself a few times per day. The more you practice this, the more natural it will become. With continued practice, your automatic thoughts can also shift to be positive.
In addition, take some time to observe your thoughts, especially in stressful situations. If you are thinking of yourself negatively, try and shift your negative statement into a positive one.
Regularly practicing positive self-talk can help reduce stress levels and improve overall mental well-being. Improving mental well-being and lowering levels of stress can have benefits such as:
- Greater life satisfaction
- Improved immune function
- May reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease
- Better physical well-being
To get started, look at the examples below on how to switch phrases from negative to positive.
| Instead of... |
Try... |
| I can’t believe I did that wrong. |
What did I learn from my experience? |
| I don’t know how to accomplish this task. |
I will do what I can to figure out how to do it. |
| This is way too hard. |
Wow this is a challenge. |
| I am not good at this. |
I can get better with practice. |
| I’ll never be able to do this. |
I’m going to keep trying. |
| I’m so stupid for making that mistake. |
Whoops, I made a mistake. |
| No one cares about me. |
I care about me. |
| I will never be good enough. |
I am good enough just as I am. |
Written By: Coach Shelby