We all have certain thoughts about who we are, what we do, and how we handle life everyday. We are continuously running dialogue in our heads and interpreting each and every situation we find ourselves in. But how many of us actually pay attention to what we are saying about whom and what we are? The truth is, self-talk, whether positive or negative, has a significant impact not only on how we create our identity, but how we create our world.
In the behavioral sciences it is known that above all external factors, we are most suggestible and influenced by our own thoughts. Several studies have shown that self-talk effects not only our current mental state, but our relationships, stress level, immune system, coping skills, general health and well-being, and even our life span! This is because our thoughts carry energy, and that energy fuels every aspect of our existence.
Take a moment and ask yourself these questions:
1) “What kind of energy are my thoughts creating?” (you'll always feel the answer)
2) What kind of energy would I like to create?”
If your answers to each question are not in alignment, read on.
Changing Your Inner Dialogue
Changing negative self-talk to positive doesn’t happen overnight, and it is not the easiest thing to do. Our human minds have been trained and conditioned to focus on the negative since we were small children (after all, the first word a child learns is no!). To begin to do this, at first just simply observe the kind of voice your self-talk has. Is it soft or loud? Happy or sad? Critical or constructive? Is it mostly positive or mostly negative? Answering these questions will help you get in touch with this voice and begin to shift it in a way that serves you. Every time you hear a negative thought about yourself or your situation, you will simply discard it and re-frame it to a positive thought. Eventually you will find yourself laughing at the puny ideas of your negative side.
Positive self-talk doesn’t mean self-delusion, however. It is healthy to remain realistically aware of all aspects of each situation and emotion, but when we allow these negative sides to overcome the positive (which will never pay off) and allow the negative to affect us and those around us, we need to take a step back and ask ourselves if it is serving our highest good. If it is not, rest assured that you have the power to change this.
AFFIRMATION TO PRACTICE:
"I AM OPEN TO CHANGING MY INNER CONVERSATION TO ALIGN WITH MY HIGHEST GOOD AND WELL-BEING"
Once you create an inner shift toward the positive, you will notice outwardly shifts begin to take shape to mirror this. The beautiful thing about positive self-talk is that it has limitless creative potential, unlike the negative which only focuses on the limitations it causes. And the best part is, it feels great! There truly is nothing to lose by practicing this (except, of course, unneeded negativity!) and everything to gain!
Do you struggle with your inner dialogue? If so, what do you do about it? Let me know below!
