No More Negative Self-talk
If my day gets a slow start and I’m not feeling motivated, or I find another reason to feel down on myself, I sometimes hear a judgmental “voice in my head” getting on my case about it. Sound familiar? In her book “Trusting Yourself,” M.J. Ryan suggests we deal with these voices by telling them, “thank you for sharing.” This solution feels good to me because it acknowledges the feelings, we can note anything to be learned from the voices, then it’s easier to move on without letting the negative feeling grow or giving it too much importance.
Often we make negative judgments and speak to ourselves in a way that’s far more harsh than we’d ever use with others, and most of the time these are exaggerations, if not outright falsehoods. So “thank you for sharing” is a quick and easy way to help these voices on their way out of our day and eventually out of our lives.
Here are affirmations that may be helpful reminders:
There’s no need to judge myself; I’m doing the best I can at present. I take note of positive actions I can take to move forward and grow.
If I hear a negative “voice in my head,” I thank the voice for sharing. I honor my feelings with compassion and choose to use them for my learning. I am being kinder to myself every day.
I actively choose positive and kind thoughts and actions.