As a society, we live in a negative world. We face so much criticism, judgment, and hatred in every aspect of our lives. It's easy to become overwhelmed by the negative things in our life and the fact that we constantly hear these messages being repeated to us.
When you have negative self-talk going on in your head, it can be tough to come out of it. You start to think about the negatives of things that are actually happening in your life, and you start feeling bad about everything.
This negativity has been ingrained into us for such a long time that it's almost hard to see past it and realize that the positive things actually are there, even though we don't notice them.
Let's look at some ways you can overcome this negative self-talk.
Know the difference between positive and negative thoughts
The first thing you need to know is the difference between positive and negative self-talk. Negative thoughts are simply thoughts that tell us how terrible we are or how bad our life is.
Positive thoughts are the ones that tell us that we're capable and awesome. They remind us of all the amazing things we've done, and they show us how much better we can be.
Negative thoughts aren't helpful; they hold you back from accomplishing your goals.
Think about your own experience in life. Think about the times you've felt negative about yourself. What happened? Did you succeed? Or did you fall short?
You're probably not used to hearing this, but negative thoughts actually hold you back from reaching your full potential. You don't have to beat yourself up when you don't accomplish everything you want to. If you're not able to accomplish all of your goals, this is perfectly okay.
Make your negative self-talk into a positive thought
This might be the hardest thing to do, but it's also the most important. How do you take all the negativity and turn it into positive thoughts?
First, you need to stop letting the negativity into your mind. You need to learn how to block out negative things and only allow positive things into your brain.
When you hear a negative voice in your head, you have to shut it down immediately. You have to change it to a positive one.
For example, you're walking down the street, and you hear someone say "you're a loser". Instead of thinking about this person's negativity, you change the thought to "I'm so awesome" and walk away.
You have to do this with all negative voices in your mind. You have to let go of that voice, and only allow positive ones to enter.
Use affirmations
One of the easiest ways to change your mindset is to write your own affirmations. Affirmations are simply positive statements that tell yourself the exact opposite of whatever is in your mind.
For example, if you're constantly thinking that you're a failure, an affirmation might be "I am a great success." If you keep repeating affirmations over