Talk to Yourself as You Would to Others

We have two important new topics this week. First, May is Mental Health Month, with this year’s theme being “Tools 2 Thrive.” Those tools include owning your feelings, finding the positive, eliminating toxic influences, creating healthy routines, supporting others, and connecting with others.
 
While each of those tools can help us improve our resiliency and our overall mental health, we want to focus on “finding the positive” because it fits right in with our topic for this week – positive self-talk.
 
When you hear people you love saying negative things about themselves, you don’t let them get away with it, do you? You’re gentle and affirming, and you show them all of the positive things about themselves and all of the wonderful things to be hopeful for.
 
Now think of that inner voice that talks to you all of the time. Do you sound the same when you talk to yourself as when you talk to others?
 
Your talk can help others, and it can help you as well. Positive self-talk helps you reduce stress, boost your confidence and resilience, and build better relationships.
 
Finding the positives in life doesn’t mean ignoring the negatives. It’s training your brain to look for good things that are happening, which helps you recover mentally and emotionally from whatever challenges you are facing. From our friends at Mental Health America, here are seven tips to help you find the positive after a loss of any kind (including what we’ve lost since this pandemic hit):
1) Try to see your experience as STRENGTH.
2) Learn from OTHERS.
3) Look for OPPORTUNITY amid adversity.
4) REMEMBER the good times.
5) Do what makes you HAPPY.
6) Find ways to HONOR what you’ve lost.
7) Don’t be afraid to ask for HELP.
 
And here are some ways to reframe your negative self-talk into positive self-talk, from Tom Trabue:
I can’t ... becomes ... I can.
I’m too old ... becomes ... age is just a state of mind.
I never ... becomes ... this could happen.
I’ll have more time when ... becomes ... let’s schedule a time to start.
I could never ... becomes ... up until now, I couldn’t.

So, have a little talk with yourself, and make sure it’s POSITIVE. Talk to yourself like you would talk to a friend or family member you love. Positive self-talk is so much more than just a pep talk. It’s self-compassion at its best.

Caring together,