Self-talk, inner chatter, on-going self dialog, the little voice in our heads… either you are conscious of it or not, we all do it… all day long.
From the moment we are born, we are interacting with and absorbing information from our surrounding environment. This is how we grow up, by relating to, connecting with and learning from the encounters and events that happen around us. In time, we become creatures of habit and develop into the unique individuals that each of us is.
Actually, scientists have proven that we retain in our brains every single thing we have ever seen, heard, read, talked over, touched, tasted, and smelled, much like in a huge data-base of information that keeps on growing as time passes; however, we may not always have conscious access to it all.
And that is a good thing. Think about it! It would be mind boggling!
But, for better or for worse, every experience no matter how small, is still in there, recorded in your brain, giving raise to your uniqueness and affecting the way in which you think and interact with the world at large.
Part of that learning and adapting includes the development of self talk patterns. Yes, we literally learn to have conversations with ourselves and in time, this becomes habitual.
As we know, the more we practice anything, the more rooted the behavior becomes. This is no different with inner chatter. However, self talk can create extra burden and stress because we often let it run wild without realizing how it’s impacting our life.
This is not to say that all self talk is harmful. Actually –and fortunately- most of it is not. If you need to pick your child at school by noon, keep a dental appointment, or getting up to speed at work, you may find yourself exerting self talk around these issues.
Thoughts such as “I need to hurry up to get to my 3:00 o’clock dental appointment on time” or “I have to submit this report by 5:00 o’clock today” actually help us function as responsible human beings, and it is perfectly normal and healthy.
However, when the self-talk becomes negative, judgmental and gloomy, it can be harmful and self-destructive.
Such is the case of the person that continuously repeats to himself that “I’ll never be able to lose weight” of “Learning that skill is just for smart people” or “I’ll never get out of debt because…” or… you get the idea.
When negative dialogs go on in your mind frequently, you are reinforcing this kind of self talk that becomes –you guessed it- an habitual behavior. This kind of chatter creates, feeds and supports limiting beliefs.
As if that was not enough, the problem goes deeper than that. You see, your subconscious mind wants to please and protect you. After all, it is responsible to keep you alive and well, all within your comfort zone. Furthermore, your subconscious mind takes everything at face value. It doesn’t know the difference between right and wrong and cannot discern among reality and fiction. Thus, to prove yourself right, your subconscious mind makes every effort to bring your affirmations –either positive or negative- into your reality.
Here is the sequence of this vicious cycle:
Negative self-talk plus persistence leads to habits which create limiting beliefs that give raise to self defeating behaviors which affect your results that help reinforce the behavior which leads to more negative thoughts!
Self-talk directly affects your moods, emotions, behavior and actions. Thus… Your on-going self-talk is giving shape to your future, literally!
No wonder self-talk becomes a self fulfilling prophecy!
The good news is that we all have the ability to reprogram our minds for the better. After all, we are intelligent beings with free will and in constant evolution.
First, let’s realize that the human brain is the most powerful computer in the world, and it seems as if it cannot be turned off.
The average adult has between 55K and 60K thoughts per day! We spend most of our living hours thinking… amazing, isn’t it?
Even now, as you read this, there is an underlying and subtle chatter going on in your mind, sometimes several thoughts happen at the same time… stop and listen for a moment…
But, the amazing thing is not that we are able to have thousands of thoughts on any given day, but that this activity goes on wild and rampant inside our heads and remains unchecked most of the time. By becoming aware of your self-talk, you are a step closer to identify which of your inner voices is causing you more harm than good.
After having learned this, the known mantra “Control Your Thoughts and Change Your Life” takes new meaning, doesn’t it?
Follow these steps to transform your self-talk into a positive experience…
- Awareness
As stated above, this is essential to gain control over your self-talk. Dedicate 15 minutes each day for a week to pay attention to your inner chatter. Go to a place where you won’t be interrupted and relax. Just observe what goes on within your mind without trying to alter or direct your thoughts in any way. Become an observer while you let your chatter run wild and take mental notes.
- Analysis
Now take a few moments to analyze the validity of the negative inner talk you just identified. Do you actually believe your thoughts are accurate and realistic? If you examine this carefully you may even be able to identify the roots of your limiting belief!
To explain this better, let’s set an example. Let’s pretend you are looking for a job and you found yourself thinking that you were so nervous in yesterday’s interview that you’ll never be able to land that job.
Do you perceive your nervousness like an opportunity to learn and grow, or like a challenge or even a threat to your self-esteem and future employment? Do you perceive the experience as an opportunity to prepare better for the next interview or as a self-defeating behavior that you cannot control? Can you relate this limiting thought to something that happened in your past?
More often than not, when you dissect your inner talk in this manner you’ll be able to expose the reality of the situation in a favorable way by realizing that there is always room for improvement, that you are capable of changing your circumstances, and that your negative though is never absolute.
- Determination
Once you are more aware of your self-talk on a regular basis, be determined to find a way to stop your thought process every time you catch a negative inner chatter; i.e. I use the word STOP or CANCEL and either say it out loud or see the letters in bright colors on the screen of my mind. A more drastic therapeutic measure is to wear a rubber band on your wrist and let it snap on your skin every time you discover a negative thought.
Affirmations
When you learn to stop your negative inner chatter as it is happening, you will soon realize that if you don’t substitute it with something else, your mind will tend to go back to the original thought once the STOP sign is gone. This is when you need to be ready to affirm yourself positively every time you catch a negative talk going on in your mind.
Let’s stick to the example above. If you catch yourself thinking “… I get so nervous when I interview that I’ll never find a job.” As soon as you notice this chatter, go immediately to STOP and soon after switch to “Every time I get interviewed I become more confident and get closer to get hired for the job of my dreams.”
- Visualization and Focus
As you state the positive affirmation, see yourself in that situation on the screen of your mind. Visualize yourself being hired, shaking hands, filling out paperwork to start working, or whatever image that helps you reinforce your affirmation. Focus on this image for a few minutes. Enjoy the feeling that this causes. Breathe. Know that you will get the perfect job!
