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Call to Schedule a Consultation (240) 399-7900
Negative self-talk is that cycle of criticizing yourself. It's your own words used against you. By you. In your head. And, becomes part of you.
Negative self-talk is a vicious cycle. It starts with self-doubt. A negative experience triggers self-doubt. Self-doubt invites criticism and blame of one's self.
The internal language is negative self-talk - of not being good enough, of never getting anything right, of being a failure, and so on. Negative self talk feeds itself.
What we say in our head becomes our belief. And, the cycle continues with each negative experience. Negative self-talk is bad - all bad.
Self-awareness and self-reflection are different. Self-awareness involves noticing and monitoring what is going inside us. It opens the heart and mind behavior that is responsive and not reactive. Self-reflection involves focusing on and thinking about one's self - character, actions, motivations, and the like. It opens the heart and mind to self-knowledge and purpose.
When doing either, one can identify and think about negative experiences and feelings. But, neither is simply the self-criticism of negative self-talk.
Stopping (or at least curbing) negative self-talk is the best thing I have done for myself in a long time. It is incredibly freeing. Some tips on how I did this:
Though originating in a very different context, I cannot help but think of Bob Marley's lyrics from Redemption Song: "Emancipate yourself from mental slavery. None but ourselves can free our minds." I welcome your tips on how to break the negative self-talk cycle.
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