Conquering Negative Self Talk

"Believe in your infinite potential. Your only limitations are those you set upon yourself".

- Roy T. Bennett

There are some limitations that are put on us by factors outside of our control, such as chronic illnesses or a period of financial struggle. Sometimes, these limitations are temporary. Other times, these limitation can go on and on.

And one of the most persistent limitations that hold us back from feeling joy, making more money, achieving more goals and building the best life possible is, well, us!

What thoughts guide your day? What beliefs support your goals or don't support your goals? What do you tell yourself daily? Many times, the thing that stands between us and the outcomes we want is our mental limits, and our own restrictions that we put on our lives through the thoughts we hold closest to us.

Next time Negative Self Talk enters your mind, try the following:

Firstly, we must recognize negative self talk right when it is happening. Ask yourself, is this your best self or your low self talking? Would you talk to your best friend like that? Would that be helpful? 

Second, utilize the ANT method, created by Daniel Amen. ANT is an acronym that stands for:

A = Automatic
N = Negative
T = Thoughts

Daniel had a very interesting and effective approach to dealing with ANTs. Imagine your negative thoughts as if they're ants and stomp them out! Do that action and see how you feel afterwards. Imagine you came home one day and there are ants all over your home, what are your actions? (that's how Daniel discovered the ANTs method). Your mind is your home, protect it from ANTs.

Another approach to tackling negative self talk, is making it sound ridiculous. Here is how you would do that: Imagine it is not you speaking, but some crazy cartoon character or someone/something with a funny voice. Then use that voice and say that negative thing in the cartoonish voice(this voice has to be different than your regular voice). Say it several times, do not change the content, just change the voice. You will notice, how silly and childish that self talk becomes. 

Remember that you are not your thoughts, you have thoughts, you are not your emotions, you have emotions, you are not your mind, you have a mind.