Have you ever been aware of your inner dialogue? Is it putting you down or lifting you up? Words are impactful, and our own words to ourselves have as much or more of an impact than the words from someone else.
What do you say to yourself when you make a mistake? Do you say “Oh, I’m so stupid!”, “Why does everything ALWAYS go wrong?”, “I‘m never good enough”. Or do you tell yourself “This is a learning opportunity”, “Progress not perfection”, or “Time to regroup and try again”. Most people tend to be their worst enemies and beat themselves up on a daily basis. You wouldn’t allow someone else to beat you up many times a day, every day, day after day after day. So why do you allow yourself to do it?
Our conversations with ourselves should be lifting us up. You need to make a decision to reframe those negative thoughts. It takes daily practice in order to change the way you speak to yourself. Instead of saying, “I don’t like change”, reframe it into “Change is an opportunity for a new experience”. Instead of saying, “Nothing ever goes my way”, reframe it to “What am I learning from this experience?”.
Sometimes you hang onto words someone else may have once said to you out of frustration or anger. Words can stick with you and if you keep repeating them, you may start believing them. If you catch yourself repeating someone else’s hurtful words they once said, choose to let them go. That’s right, you can choose not to repeat them. Replace them with positive affirmations; “I am good enough the way I am”, “I am kind and generous”, or “I am calm and confident”.
Choose to treat yourself with kindness. This decision can not only change how you treat yourself, but also can spread to how you treat other people. By reframing self deprecating habits and words, your mindset shifts to a more positive outlook on life.
Leah McKain