Watch out, for yourself: Tips to cut down on that negative self talk

 

Historically, the teenage years are characterized by incessant bouts of moodiness and irritability, particularly when it comes to social settings and social relationships. Among adolescents, a very prominent behaviour pattern also includes self-talk, which in most basic terminology can be defined as one’s ‘inner voice.’ While the arduous research on the benefits of self-talk such as boosts in self-esteem and improvements in depression and anxiety have been proven to have exponential advantages, there is equal but often unnoticed literature on negative self-talk. Negative self-talk is known to have detrimental effects on one’s everyday well-being, making it incessantly difficult to deal with chronic pain, and having a grave impact on individual sexual confidence and body-image standards. 

As with positive self-talk, negative self-talk are psychological formations that can be reversed with correct applied techniques. It is important to remember that the first step to avoid any negative self-talk is to gain awareness of it, and to understand when your inner voice is going down a dark road. While this may take some time, if you feel like you are your own worst enemy, and the voice inside your head always tells you that “you can’t do it,” try some of the tips listed below to have more meaningful conversations with yourself: 

Focus on the present

If you find yourself getting caught up in a web of fatalism, feeling like nothing in the future could ever work out for you or being haunted by the losses of your past, try to bring your focus back to the here and now. Research finds that reframing your negative cognitions and drawing attention to the current moment can help reduce angst about the future and past, making it an effective self-talk habit. 

Ditch the black & white 

Looking at the world around us from a black and white lens yields no positive outcomes, and often adds the stress of trying to locate ourselves in a binary. Therefore, cognitive reframing that allows one to see surrounding happenings as gray can help recognize the complex structure of the social world, making it easier to navigate situations without negative thoughts. 

Squish the talk (literally): 

Creative visualization techniques such as kicking the negative thought away, or by picking it up and throwing it have long-standing effects in preventing harmful self talk. Verbal techniques such as saying ‘stop!’ everytime you encounter a negative thought, though dramatic, can lead to vast improvements in cognitive functioning. 

Sources: 

1. https://www.newportacademy.com/resources/mental-health/reframing-negative-thoughts/

2. https://www.psychologytoday.com/us/blog/fulfillment-any-age/201909/keep-your-self-talk-positive-focusing-the-here-and-now

3. https://www.researchgate.net/publication/278026499_Awareness_and_Motivation_to_Change_Negative_Self-Talk