Did you know that positive self-talk can change your life for the better? According to a study published in the Journal of Sport and Exercise Psychology, positive self-talk targets behavioral and cognitive factors and is the key to confidence building.
Our pattern of self-talk is more focused on the negative, wouldn’t you agree? While we all have good childhood memories, you always think about the bad ones that how your parents prevented you from going out with your friends or grounded you. There are countless instances like these where we automatically focus on the negatives rather than the positives. It’s because fear, guilt, and anger fuel our feelings, and we feel justified in them.
So, how about we change the way you think?
Instead of saying, “I can’t” say “I can.” Here’s how:
Before we begin, know that positive self-talk has plenty of benefits, such as it reduces stress, boosts resilience and confidence, and builds a better relationship.
The 4 Categories of Negative Self-Talk
1.Personalizing: Blaming yourself for everything.
2.Polarizing: Seeing things in two colors: black and white. For you, there are no gray areas.
3.Magnifying: You focus only on the bad in every scenario.
4.Catastrophizing: You expect the worst in every situation.
Practicing Positive Self-Talk
Use Positive Affirmations
Start every task by saying something positive. This way, if you meet any challenges along the way, motivation will help you muster through them. Remove words like “can’t,” “don’t,” and “won’t” from your dictionary.
Create Boundaries
Some people tend to be toxic, and they are the ones who bring negativity into your life. It’s alright to keep them at bay because spending time with them will do nothing but destroy your confidence-building drive.
Stop Comparing Yourself to Other
No two persons are the same. So, comparing yourself to your friend, colleague, or a random person you saw on the street will always make you feel bad about yourself. From their clothes to their bodies, skin, and everything that you fixate on, all are passing. Things don’t take time to change. The best way to stop yourself from trivializing the little things is to count your blessings. Be yourself, and you will learn to love the positive things about yourself.
Visualize Success
It’s in our human nature to think about the many ways things can go wrong. Why not think about how things can go right for a change? How amazing would that be! Go ahead and try it. The moment you start thinking about “good things,” your perspective and the way you operate automatically changes. That pep in your step… yes, it’s because you are now more positive.
So, how about adding a little positivity to your life? One thing I can promise you is that you will love this change because you will feel happier. People often say that if you adopt a positive stance, you feel more accomplished. Even though things might not work out for the better in some situations, you will still feel content that at least you had positivity in mind.