TotalShape/Pixabay: Keeping a tab on mental health is important
While many of us have a sweet little voice in our heads talking us through our daily routines,for some, it takes on a rather harsh, critical tone. Over a period of time, this takes a toll on one’s mental health. Why let self-talk be toxic and unproductive when it could potentially be re-engineered to motivate and encourage instead?
Now, the switch will not happen overnight. It may feel unfamiliar or even uncomfortable to begin speaking kindly internally. A good place to start would be bridge statements.
Bridge statements serve as a middle ground between pessimism and zeal – essentially, they are a combination of acknowledging a shortcoming, and building a bridge towards improvement. For example, your brain may tell you, “you are lazy and unproductive.” You may not be able to stop this train of thought mid-way, but you can change how it ends.
geralt/Pixabay: Having a high self-esteem can go a long way
You could think, “I may have had a lazy and unproductive day, but I have the potential to be better tomorrow’.
These statements connect a negative feeling to a positive one, and learning to make them is the first step towards reprogramming your internal voice.
This may be harder than it sounds – our brains, after all, have become very accustomed to working in a certain way. The human mind is predisposed to fixating on the negatives as part of its ‘fight or flight’ response, which aims to seek and process perceived ‘danger’. Changing old habits will be a taxing process that requires conscientious effort.
The process begins with paying more attention to the thoughts one has about themselves on a day to day basis. If the overall tone is largely negative, a focused effort must be made to try and rectify that. It’s okay if the thought is not what you want to hear, don’t panic thinking it over and over again, instead, choose to let the thought go gradually and focus on the next positive one.
Coming up with bridge statements for every self-implicating thought can be cumbersome, so a good place to start would simply be reminders of one’s positive qualities that are appreciated by many. This will serve to offset the negative energy unkind thought can have.
Alexas_Fotos/Pixabay: Reinforcing positive thoughts is the key
Following this, one must be more forgiving of themselves – accept that no one is perfect, and everyone will make mistakes once in a while. It is not possible to be the best at everything, but rather, it is an absolute must to give everything you do your best shot. Slowly but surely, the positive, empowering mindset will take root in your head.
