“Anyone who doesn’t talk to themselves, please stand up!” I ask this question in my seminars and, invariably, no one stands up. We all talk to ourselves! The question is: how do you talk to yourself?
What is the nature and quality of your self-talk?
Is your talk accepting and encouraging?
Is it judging and critical?
Is it self and life enhancing or is it self and life limiting?
If we monitor our self-talk and talk in general, we can learn about our self-image and our sense of self-worth. If there is a lot of criticism and negative perspective, then we are beating up on ourselves, and that will have negative consequences on our self-esteem and feelings of value.
You can begin to make headway in improving your feelings about yourself by monitoring your self-talk and trying to steer it in a more positive direction. Think about how you can turn it into positive thoughts and accept yourself as you are.
Here’s an affirmation that many have found useful. Repeat it to yourself, write it down, or even post it around your house to remind yourself.
I will fall off the track from time to time, that’s a given. But when I do, I always remember that getting back on track is one healthy choice or action away. I love myself unconditionally, despite my limitations.