Dear Kid,
“I am SUCH an IDIOT!” “I can’t believe I did that!” “I’ll never get this—I should just give up.”
Have you ever said anything like that to yourself? Have you ever thought anything like that?
The truth is, we have all thought things like that—and we all need to STOP IT.
Right Now.
Seriously, would you stay friends with someone who talked to you like that? Would you pound into a pulp anyone who said anything like that to your sister? Duh.
So why do you let YOU talk to yourself like that?
Just as we can be hurt by other people talking negatively, negative self talk is dangerous. Even more dangerous than when others spout destructive nonsense. Because we can’t help but listen to ourselves. And we trust ourselves. So we start believing ourselves.
Believing yourself is a useful habit when you say good, kind, encouraging, positively motivational things. It’s a rotten habit when you are less than gentle.
The good news is it’s reasonably easy to change your self talk.
- Decide to be nicer, more polite to yourself.
- Catch yourself whenever you start to say negative things about the wonderful you.
- Replace negative conversations with more positive statements.
- Repeat.
Instead of saying “I just blew it” try “I will do better next time.” Instead of “I’ll never learn this!” try “I know what I need to ask about in the review class.” Instead of “I look terrible in this outfit” try “I look better in purple.”
You get the idea.
You’re fabulous. You should tell yourself so.
Here’s to a positive day.
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