Our self-talk is extremely powerful; as everything starts from within. What we tell ourselves about ourselves can transform the quality of how we live our life. Hence we need to change our internal reality first before changing our external reality. If you practice positive self-talk, you see positivity everywhere. That’s the power of positive self-talk. The same logic applies to negative self-talk too.
What’s the first thought that comes to your mind as soon as you wake up in the morning?
“Oo shit! I am late again”.
“Why am I so lazy?”
And what is the last thought you go through, before going to sleep (apart from checking your phone’s notifications)?
“I am so tired”.
“Again a very busy day.”
“Why is life so boring”?
The above statements are some examples of self-talk.
The most important factor which affects our life is the inner monologue that we listen to in our head every time. There is no other important story as the story that we keep telling ourselves every single day. That particular story is our self-talk. There is a constant self-talk activity going on in our minds. Commenting, analyzing, explaining, and repeating thoughts; that’s what our mind does continuously.
What are affirmations? (Self talk therapy)
Affirmations are the words or statements that we use with ourselves as well as with others. When we use it with ourselves, then it’s nothing but our self-talk. For example statements like, “Yes! It is possible”; “Life is beautiful”.
You can find many such positive affirmations online but the most useful are those which you create yourself. Or those with which you can resonate with yourself.
When we act upon these affirmations they start acting upon us. After all, you can’t deny Newton’s 3rd law.
Why is self-talk so important?
Affirmations are either positive or negative. When your self-talk and affirmations are positive, they raise you up in life. In a similar manner, when you affirm yourself negatively they curse you down in life. If you say, I am blessed, you invite more blessings into your life. But if you say I am stressed you will invite more reasons to make you stressed.
In other words, you get more of what you think about. Think about sadness, you get sadness. Think about joy, you get joy.
As he thinks, so he is; as he continues to think, so he remains.
James Allen, As a Man Thinketh
If you don’t believe in this fact, then try doing a simple experiment. Start blaming yourself for every mishappening that occurs in your life. Like you are unemployed and hence worthless, or you don’t deserve to be happy and many more negative thoughts. Then observe their effects on you. Have you ever noticed that once you become anxious about something, that anxiety starts increasing exponentially?
Repeat this experiment but now with positive affirmations like ‘I am amazing’. Think about all the blessings you have in your life.
So, what did you observe? Everything changes the moment we see ourselves as worthy and beautiful.
How does it work?
Our words and thoughts program our minds in the same way that commands and codes program a computer. This means that we can reprogram our minds, in the same way, that we can install a new program on our computer. We reap whatever our conscious mind sows into our subconscious mind. The repetition of thoughts is used to program our subconscious mind. It believes whatever you repeat to it consistently; doesn’t matter how true or false the statement is. It is just like a sponge that soaks your thoughts continuously.
Let’s take walking as an example. When we were kids, we kept falling again and again while walking. Yet we tried repeating the same process. However, now we rarely think of our steps as we walk because our subconscious mind already knows how to walk. The same logic holds for affirmations. We keep telling ourselves who we are until our brain believes it. If you think you are a loser, then your brain will definitely believe that Yes, you are a loser! If you think that M.S. Dhoni is an irreplaceable player in cricket, then yes, your mind will definitely support you in this; no matter what others say. That’s the reason why positive self-talk is so important. Hence, we need to be very careful about the messages that we convey to our subconscious minds.
Does self-talk really work?
Suppose you are learning how to swim or are participating in any race. While swimming or running, you keep repeating in your mind, “I can do it, I can do it.” What are you actually doing? You are repeating positive affirmations.
Words matter. And the words that matter most are the ones you say to yourself.
David Taylor-Klaus
Words work in both ways, to build or to destroy. How do you feel when someone appreciates you? And what about the time when someone rudely behaves with you? The same effect is produced on your mind when you involve it with positive or negative self-talk. Affirmations do not work by magic at all. It’s a simple mental exercise and a method to strengthen your belief system.
Benefits of positive self talk
Because of their optimistic outlooks, positive self-talk can be extremely helpful to make you stress-free. Not only this, but it also enhances your performance in each and every area of your life. It makes you more motivated and confident by focusing on the solutions instead of focusing on the problems. Moreover, affirmative self-talk before a high-pressure meeting or an interview can calm your nerves thus improving your chances of a successful outcome. In one study, a short affirmation exercise boosted the problem-solving abilities of “chronically stressed” subjected to the same level as those with low stress.
Final Thoughts
Just as a healthy diet is essential for a healthy body; in the same way, constructive and healthy affirmations are needed for a healthy mind. On the other hand, if you choose negative self-talk, it’s like feeding your mind with junk food and becoming mentally obese.
Related post: How to stop your Negative Self-Talk?
Our ability to stay positive and maintain positive thoughts determines the tone of our emotional life. The words we use to describe what is happening to us trigger different emotions inside us of both happiness and unhappiness.
Consequences are connected to our actions. Therefore, it is crucial to be ever conscious and aware of what we think, do, and say. Those thoughts, action, and words will literally define who we are.
Michael G Sawaya
Things start happening when you repeat positive self-talk, believe in them, and focus on them. The more positive your self-talk is, the more positive you see this world.
CHANGE INSIDE, GLOW OUTSIDE
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1 Comment
Lovely written. Loads and loads of love!!!