Positive self-talk is associated with benefits such as better physical health and greater life satisfaction. You can incorporate positive self-talk by learning to identify negative self-talk and reframing your thoughts.
Self-talk is your internal dialogue, and it can be both negative and positive. Having a more positive outlook on life can provide you with some health benefits, including:
If you believe your self-talk is too negative, or if you want to emphasize positive self-talk, you can learn to shift that inner dialogue. It can help you be a more positive person, and it may improve your health.
Before you can learn to practice more positive self-talk, you must be able to identify negative self-talk. Negative self-talk generally falls into four categories:
- Personalizing. You blame yourself for everything.
- Magnifying. You focus on the negative aspects of a situation, ignoring any and all of the positive.
- Catastrophosizing. You expect the worst, and you rarely let logic or reason persuade you otherwise.
- Polarizing. You see the world in black and white, or good and bad. There’s nothing in between and no middle ground for processing and categorizing life events.
When you begin to recognize your types of negative thinking, you can work to turn them into positive thinking. This may feel uncomfortable or unnatural at first. However, with consistent practice over time, it should feel more natural.
What are some examples?
These scenarios are examples of when and how you can turn negative self-talk into positive self-talk. Recognizing some of your own negative self-talk in these scenarios may help you develop skills to flip the thought when it occurs.
Example of personalizing
Negative: I let everyone on my team down when I didn’t score.
Positive: Sports are a team event. We win and lose together.
Example of magnifying
Negative: That presentation went terribly. I wasn’t able to answer the questions people had for me.
Positive: I presented important information to the best of my ability, and it still went well even though I wasn’t able to answer some questions at the end.
Example of catastrophosizing
Negative: I’m so nervous for this date. My outfit is terrible, and she will hate the restaurant I picked.
Positive: I am going to make my best first impression and have fun on this date. I haven’t met her yet, so I don’t know if she will immediately dislike everything.
Example of polarizing
Negative: I just lost my job. I was terrible at it, and I’ll be terrible at any other job.
Positive: This is a great opportunity to take some time to reflect on my career goals and spend some time with loved ones. Do I want my next job to be similar, or try to branch out in my career?
Positive self-talk takes practice if it’s not your natural instinct. If you’re generally more pessimistic, you can learn to shift your inner dialogue to be more encouraging and uplifting.
However, forming a new habit takes time and effort. Over time, your thoughts can shift. Positive self-talk can become your norm.
Tips for incorporating positive self-talk
- Identify negative self-talk traps. Certain scenarios may increase your self-doubt and lead to more negative self-talk. For example, work events may be particularly hard for you. Pinpointing when you experience the most negative self-talk can help you anticipate and prepare.
- Check in with your feelings. Stop during events or bad days and evaluate your self-talk. Is it becoming negative? How can you turn it around?
- Find the humor. Laughter can help relieve stress and tension. When you need a boost for positive self-talk, find ways to laugh at the situation.
- Give yourself positive affirmations. Sometimes, seeing positive words or inspiring images can be enough to redirect your thoughts. Post small reminders in your office, in your home, and anywhere you spend a significant amount of time.
- Surround yourself with positive people. You can absorb the outlook and emotions of people around you. This includes negative and positive, so choose positive people when you can — and maybe encourage those who are negative to practice positive self-talk with you.
Developing positive self talk takes time and effort. However, if you find that you need more support, consider talking with a therapist.
Mental health experts can help you pinpoint sources of negative self-talk and learn to flip the switch. You can ask your health care provider for a referral to a therapist, or ask a friend or family member for a suggestion.
Positive self-talk can help you improve your outlook on life. It can also have lasting positive health benefits, including improved well-being and a better quality of life.
If you tend to have negative self-talk and err on the side of pessimism, you can change it. It takes time and practice, but you can develop uplifting positive self-talk.