January 1st – the proverbial date to set new goals and resolutions. By now, for many of those goal and resolution endeavors, the newness has worn off and sustainability becomes a question mark. The doubts creep in and self-talk, the conversation between the ears, starts to change. Outside influences may be creating a deceleration of momentum. The honeymoon stage of the new goal wears off and the truth of how difficult it is to fight for something you want creeps in. The mind shifts to doubt and the “why” you’re embarking on this goal starts to become a little blurry.
It’s normal – never a matter of if negative self-talk will creep in, a matter of when. When we challenge ourselves, set new goals, work to reach new heights, negative self-talk will continue to creep in and try to take over. The impact this negative self-talk can create is more than any pain from a rough workout, late night spent in class learning, or any complex project at work.
Now we’re faced with inflection points – let the negative self-talk rent space in our minds or acknowledge it and rise above. There’s no one-size fits all approach when it comes to improving our battles with self-talk. It takes a willingness to try new tactics and diligent practice acknowledging when negative self-talk arises and how perseverance can occur between the ears. Consider a few of these ideas:
- Continue seeking challenges to create more opportunities practicing handling negative self-talk. Similar to getting reps in sports to learn and grow, reps are needed handling self-talk.
- Using/creating a vision board or some visual representation of what you’re working for can help your mind shift back from the negative flow to the “why” of what you’re striving for.
- Develop an internal alarm to signal when negative self-talk is taking place. It starts with acknowledging the negative self-talk flow must stop.
- Find a go-to (or multiple ones) for your mind to break away and get perspective – music, reading, go for a walk, friend to chat with can be places to start.
- When the negative self-talk flow happens, pause and take a couple minutes to write down times you’ve had success. Reminders of success gives us a broader perspective of both the success and failures as opposed to only focusing on one negative situation.
Take your step: as moments of negative self-talk pop up, this week start trying some of these methods, or methods of your own, to acknowledge the negative self-talk and then mitigate the continuation of the negative self-talk. Everyone faces negative self-talk – be one of few brave enough to face the negative self-talk and game plan how to shift your mind back to what you’re striving for.
What else would you add? Drop in the comments below and would love to hear your ideas.