How Positive Self-Talk Can Help You Accomplish More
587320 views
Imagine a child and their mother standing in the grocery store. You overhear the mother berating the child, saying, “You can’t do anything right. Everyone talks about how lazy you are. Nothing you do will ever change that.” We can all agree that would be horrific. So why do we talk like that to ourselves?
The way that you talk to yourself has a major impact on your mental health, ability to accomplish things, and ultimately your quality of life. Let’s look at how you can take back control of your inner monologue and start creating the life you truly want.
Benefits of Positive Self Talk
There’s heaps of evidence that positive self-talk helps create a better life. Some benefits include:
- Increased productivity and motivation
- Improved mental health, including reduced anxiety and depression
- Enhanced self-esteem
- More creative thinking and problem-solving skills
- Better cardiovascular health
- Improved coping skills
If you believe you can accomplish something, you’re way more likely to get it done. Being trapped in an endless cycle of negative self-talk takes away any motivation to succeed that you might have. One of the first steps to breaking out of procrastination is convincing yourself that it’s possible, so talk to yourself like you’re worth the effort it takes to become the person you want to be.
How to Improve Your Self Talk
Simply telling yourself to use more positive self-talk won’t do the trick. You need to have actionable, simple steps that you can take to make sure you stick with it. Here are a few you can start doing right away!
Tip One: Use Second-Person Pronouns
This one might sound a little counterintuitive, but think about how much more likely you are to listen when someone else tells you you’re doing a good job. By phrasing your affirmations as “You are loved,” “You are capable,” or “You can get this done today,” you can trick your brain into taking you seriously.
Tip Two: Self-Compassion
Everyone is going to have bad days. Identifying when you need rest and compassion is a difficult skill, but one that can be learned with practice. Instead of telling yourself that you’re lazy if you need rest or bad for needing to feel your emotions, try giving yourself the space to be where you are. Try saying things like “You are doing the best you can,” and “You are allowed to be where you are today.”
Tip Three: Identify and Replace Negative Self Talk
This one might seem obvious, but it can be a real challenge, especially if you’ve been caught in the negative self-talk spiral for a long time. Make sure you extend the same love to yourself that you do to others. Here are some examples of negative self-talk and how you can flip the script.
- “It’s too complicated” = “You can try it from a different angle”
- “I’m so lazy” = “You’re having some trouble with procrastinating, you can get through this”
- “I’m not getting any better” = “You’re trying your best and change takes time”
- “I don’t have what I need” = “This is an opportunity to innovate”
Uncovering More
Positive self-talk is a significant part of cognitive behavioral therapy, which has proven to be extremely successful in treating all sorts of problems, including chronic procrastination. If you find yourself continually talking down to yourself about your ability to get things done and be productive, Virtue Map is here to help!
We offer plans that get to the root of why you put things off and use science to help get you motivated and excited to chase down your goals. It’s easy to get started, all you have to do is fill out a quick questionnaire so that we can pinpoint your procrastination type and recommend the perfect plan for you.
Building your self-esteem takes time, but you don’t have to do it alone. With positive self-talk and some help from Virtue Map, you will be confident enough to live your best life! Remember, you can do anything you put your mind to.
Copyright © 2022 Virtue Map. All rights reserved.
Virtue Map does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.