Table of Contents
What is the effect of negative self-talk?
Negative self-talk can have some pretty damaging impacts. Negative-self talk has been found to “feed” anxiety and depression, cause an increase in stress levels while lowering levels of self-esteem. This can lead to decreased motivation as well as greater feelings of helplessness. Positive self-talk makes you feel good about yourself and the things that are going on in your life. It’s like having an optimistic voice in your head that always looks on the bright side. Negative self-talk makes you feel pretty crappy about yourself and the things that are going on. Positive self-talk is an inner monologue that makes you feel good about yourself and everything going on in your life. It’s an optimistic voice in your head that encourages you to look at the bright side, pick yourself up when you fall and recognize when you fail. A: Negative thinking makes you feel blue about the world, about yourself, about the future. It contributes to low self-worth. It makes you feel you’re not effective in the world. Psychologists link negative thinking to depression, anxiety, chronic worry and obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD).
Can you define positive self-talk and its effects on your thoughts?
Positive self-talk is an internal dialogue that makes a person feel good about themselves. A person can use positive self-talk to think optimistically and feel motivated. Identifying negative self-talk is the first step toward thinking more positively. It’s influenced by your subconscious mind, and it reveals your thoughts, beliefs, questions, and ideas. Self-talk can be both negative and positive. It can be encouraging, and it can be distressing. Much of your self-talk depends on your personality. Your self-talk can even impact how you respond to stressors and events in your life. When you learn to communicate positively with yourself, you’ll start to become more confident and motivated. Your outlook on life, and on yourself will be better. The tricky thing about negative self-talk is that it can come in many forms. According to Mayo Clinic, there are four main ones to be exact: personalizing, filtering, catastrophizing, and polarizing. Why is positive thinking important? Positive thinking is important because it can have a beneficial impact on both physical and mental well-being. People who maintain a more positive outlook on life cope better with stress, have better immunity, and have a lower risk of premature death. When positive thoughts are generated, when you’re feeling happy, or optimistic, cortisol decreases and the brain produces serotonin, creating a feeling of well-being. When serotonin levels are normal, one feels happy, calmer, less anxious, more focused and more emotionally stable (Scaccia, 2017).
How does positive self-talk help self-esteem?
Instead, positive self-talk helps you to about see the whole truth, not just the negative aspects of any given situation. By using more positive self-talk, you are more likely to build confidence and self-esteem, feel more in control of events in your life, and achieve your goals. Over time, engaging in more positive self-talk can help reduce stress, improve self-esteem, increase motivation, inspire productivity, and improve overall mental and physical health. Educators, counselors, and parents can have a huge role in helping kids and young adults develop a greater voice for positive self-talk. Some examples of positive self-talk: ‘I can do it. ‘ ‘I’m good enough. ‘ ‘If I want to, I can. ‘ ‘It doesn’t matter if I make a mistake. Practice positive self-talk. Start by following one simple rule: Don’t say anything to yourself that you wouldn’t say to anyone else. Be gentle and encouraging with yourself. If a negative thought enters your mind, evaluate it rationally and respond with affirmations of what is good about you. Yes, positive thinking can change your life. Studies have found that positive thinking helps you live longer, reduces loneliness and more. But the most life-changing effect of positive thinking has to do with the law of attraction. This is the idea that what you focus on, you attract.
What are the advantages and disadvantages of self-talk?
Positive self-talk has shown to improve performance not only during and after activity, but also has shown to be a positive predictor of future performance satisfaction. On the other hand, negative self-talk has shown to increase anxiety and serves as a detriment to overall performance. Researchers have found that positive self-talk can help immensely with work performance, learning, self-awareness, and managing anxiety. Positive self-talk reframes the way we look at stressful situations and how we can approach them → Going from “this is too difficult” to “I can do this!” Positive self-talk is an effective stress reduction tool. From correcting negative thoughts to coping during difficult times, positive self-talk changes lives. If you’re struggling with negative thoughts and want to be kinder to yourself, we can help. Negative self-talk – damaging – I cannot do this! Positive self-talk – useful – I can do this! Possibility self-talk – even more useful – What if I can do this! If you have healthy self-esteem, you are more likely to have positive relationships with others. Your confidence enables you to do your best at school or work. Healthy self-esteem helps you maintain a positive outlook even when you don’t meet expectations, as you can be more open to feedback and growth opportunities.
How does self-talk affect performance?
Effective use of self-talk can improve your performance by helping you regulate your feelings, thoughts, and energy about those events. Positive self-talk can help you feel confident, improve coordination, control fine motor skills, enhance your focus, and perform better at endurance events too. When people talk to themselves, they may be working problems out in their minds and speaking them out loud. This is also known as “self-explaining.” Talking out loud helps people work through their thoughts. Self-talk refers to the way that you talk to yourself, whether positively or negatively. Among the functions served by self-talk are self-criticism, self-reinforcement, self-management, and social assessment (Brinthaupt et al., 2009). Research on athletes and students shows that repeating positive mantras and encouraging sentiments to yourself in times of stress and pressure actually has a demonstrably positive impact on performance — and self-esteem. Sometimes you might find yourself engaging in self-talk centered on rumination, or continuously talking about the same sad, negative, dark thoughts. This type of self-talk may be a sign of a mental health condition such as depression. Self-talk can also be a concern if it occurs as a result of hallucinations.
How does positive self-talk reduce stress?
Research suggests people with positive self-talk may have mental skills that allow them to solve problems, think differently, and be more efficient at coping with hardships reducing the harmful effects of stress and anxiety. The problem with positive thinking as an approach is that it operates at the surface level of conscious thoughts. It does nothing to contend with the subconscious mind where negative self-talk and limiting beliefs really live. If you’ve tried thinking positively, you know that it can be a difficult habit to maintain. Their findings show that people with high self-esteem generally have more success at school and work, better social relationships, improved mental and physical health, and less anti-social behavior. And, these benefits persist from adolescence to adulthood and into old age. The power of thinking positively is remarkable. In fact, the idea that your mind can change your world almost seems too good to be true. If you start thinking positively then automatically positive vibes start attracting you.