Wouldn’t it be great if someone else could reinforce positive messages to help keep us focused on positive thoughts?
Unfortunately we have to learn to do it for ourselves. Is your negative self-talk taking steering you in the wrong direction? Are you even aware how often your thoughts drift toward the negative side of the road?
Everyone has doubts and second-guesses things from time to time, but sometimes negativity becomes a nasty habit.
That’s one of the reasons I go to yoga. I love it when the teacher reminds me to set a positive intention for my practice that day. Sometimes I dedicate the hour to someone who might need some extra positive energy, but often I use it as a chance to practice positive self-talk. I enjoy slowing down and breathing purposefully. With each inhale I breathe in a positive mantra, like ‘patience’, and with each exhale I reinforce some word that reminds me to be kind to myself, like ‘gentleness’.
I’ve worked on eliminating my negative self-talk for so many years now, and I’ve talked about my positive self-talk ‘muscle’ so often at Power Camp that I’m happy to say this way of thinking has become a new habit. I don’t like how it feels when I’m negative to myself. I don’t enjoy it when I hear other people beating themselves up either. It makes me anxious. Today I’m fairly good at catching myself in the moment if/when something negative falls out of my mouth. I try to stop and rephrase my words right then and there. Especially the ‘should’ statements. They don’t serve any purpose.
Give it a try. Next time you hear yourself saying something negative inside your head. Take a TIME OUT. Rephrase your words or thoughts and shift over to the positive side. Allow the happy-feel-good chemicals to enter your bloodstream and cells.