21 Jul Managing your inner chatterbox
Inside our heads lives a chatterbox that runs all day long. It reminds us of everything we’ve ever done wrong, makes negative assumptions, nags at us and tells us that we simply don’t measure up. It’s sneaky and quiet, but powerful. Sometimes it drives us crazy, sometimes we don’t even know it is talking to us. Sound familiar?
Follow these three steps to help you kick out the negative and welcome in the positive, or at least quieten your chatterbox down.
Observe
Listen. I mean really listen to it. Generally we don’t pay it full attention, we just let it take over and dominate our reactions.
- What does your chatterbox say?
- How does it make you feel?
- Does it say the same thing over and over again?
Focus and observe what is going on. You don’t have to accept that what your chatterbox is saying is the truth
Evaluate
What’s going on?
Does your inner chatterbox come in several forms? – anxious, passive, angry, frightened.
Is there anything positive going on?
Start to become aware that your negative inner chatterbox has become a habit in your mind. It is time to listen to a different track! Positivity fills you with energy.
Replace
Replace your negative inner chatterbox with your positive one. Give your positive voice more room to speak by adopting mantras – positive, powerful statements. Encourage it by repeating your mantras and keep doing that until you begin to feel the change. Speak out loud or write your mantra down if that works better for you.
Positive statements encourage us and help us eliminate our negative inner chatterbox.
Examples of positive inner chatterbox might be:
- Stop, and breathe, I can do this
- This will pass
- I can be anxious/angry/sad and still deal with this
- I have done this before, and I can do it again
- This feels bad, it’s a normal body reaction – it will pass
- This feels bad, and feelings are very often wrong
- These are just feelings, they will go away
- This won’t last forever
- Short term pain for long term gain
- I can feel bad and still choose to take a new and healthy direction
- I don’t need to rush, I can take things slowly
- I have survived before, I will survive now
- I feel this way because of my past experiences, but I am safe right now
- It’s okay to feel this way, it’s a normal reaction
- Right now, I am not in danger. Right now, I’m safe
- My mind is not always my friend
- Thoughts are just thoughts – they’re not necessarily true or factual
- This is difficult and uncomfortable, but it’s only temporary
- I can use my coping skills and get through this
- I can learn from this and it will be easier next time
- Keep calm and carry on
Write down a coping thought or positive statement for each negative self talk situation – something you can tell yourself that will help you get through.
Go on – give it a go!
Don’t say you can’t
Henry Ford said “Whether you think that you can, or that you can’t, you are usually right.”