You may have heard of the practice of mindfulness. It’s becoming more and more popular, and for good reason. This simple practice can deliver powerful results. Mindfulness is really just being aware of yourself and your emotions in the present moment. It involves bringing your thoughts back to the present when they begin to wander, much like meditation. Mindfulness is knowing where your attention lies. You can use this concept when you discover that your inner naysayer is sending you negative messages. You’ve learned some strategies for recognizing this inner critic. One other way to overcome it is to use mindfulness to manage these thoughts once you recognize them. Countering your own negative self-talk immediately in the moment with mindfulness is an effective way to deal with it. By managing these messages, you’ll gradually increase your self-esteem. Read on to discover some ways to use mindfulness to feel better about yourself. Use Visualization Visualization is a way of helping to make your positive thoughts a reality. When you catch yourself thinking negative thoughts, counter them with a vision of things going well. Try to include details in that vision, such as what you’re wearing, your surroundings, and even how you feel. Doing this practice routinely has been shown to actually rewire your brain to act as though your vision were actually happening. Over time, you’ll begin to gain the self-confidence you have in your vision. Examine Your Thoughts Actually taking time in the moment to examine and counter your negative thoughts is a powerful act of mindfulness. Ask yourself questions about the negative self-talk you just heard. Analyze it. Try to discover its roots or meanings. Getting to the bottom of these messages and their resulting feelings as they’re happening can help you to give them the boot and replace them with kinder thoughts. Take Risks Being mindful can also mean being proactive in your actions. Deciding in the moment to try something new or push past your fear to take a risk is a fantastic way to feel more secure in your abilities. You’ll gain lots of strides the more you practice taking risks, so give it a shot today. Feel free to start small and increase your reach over time. Acknowledge What You’re Doing Right Counter your thoughts about what an awful person you are or what you’re doing wrong with an acknowledgement of what you’re doing right. There’s always something good about yourself you can note if you dig deep (you probably really only need to scratch the surface). This will get easier with time, so don’t feel like you have to immediately heap tons of praise upon yourself. Just try just making note of one small thing you’ve done right today to offset the self-critical thought you’re having. Then, see how much lighter your mood feels. Give these tricks a try when you find yourself succumbing to your inner naysayer. Using mindfulness practices can be a very effective way to overcome your inner naysayer and feel better about yourself.
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Your inner naysayer thrives on the unknown. When things are ambiguous or uncertain, fear can set in. It’s only natural and is part of the human condition. That voice inside your head that’s trying desperately to keep you safe will see the unknown as a threat. That’s when you’ll start to experience a flood of negative self-talk. One sure way to combat these negative messages is by having a plan. Focus on specifics to defuse your inner naysayer. Let me show you how. Know the Details When you start to recognize your inner naysayer rearing its pesky head, it’s a good idea to see if you can start putting together some details. This can alleviate some of the anxiety you’re feeling. For instance, if you’re worried about applying for a promotion at work, you’ll want to start making a list of your unique qualifications. You’ll need this information in order to ace the interview, anyway. Gathering it now will push you forward and give you the confidence to apply. With these details, you can counter the negative messages your inner critic is sending. Make a Plan Once you have some of the details and evidence together to help hush your inner naysayer, you can begin to formulate a plan to move you forward. To stay with the last example, strategize for a potential interview. Make sure your resume is up to date and that it looks professional. Prepare for potential questions you could be asked. Pull together a stellar reference list. Ask questions of any insiders you might know who could provide you some insight into what the interview will be like. Add anything you can think of to solidify your plan. Your inner critic can’t really argue with someone who has a strategy in place. Write a List Sometimes your inner naysayer’s voice can be incredibly loud. You might be feeling too overwhelmed and defeated to gather all the details and make a fully formulated plan. That’s okay. Even a small step can help you to at least quiet your inner critic. This can buy you some time and create some breathing room for formulating a plan later. Just writing a list of things that go against the messages your naysayer is telling you might help. Perhaps jotting down just three things that qualify you for the promotion can boost your confidence enough to consider applying for the job. These tips can help you to get a handle on your inner naysayer. Just taking a few small actions is often enough to provide you with a more realistic view of the situation. Give this approach a shot next time you’re feeling pressure from your inner critic. Negative self-talk is made up of the messages your inner naysayer tells you. It comes from the beliefs you hold about yourself, based on what others have said to you throughout your life and the feelings you have internalized. Sometimes these messages may seem like they’re meant to protect you, but they usually just end up holding you back and making you feel bad about yourself. Because you’ve been formulating and accepting these messages for most of your life, they can be hard to overcome. However, it’s not impossible to combat them. It just takes some practice and effort to start to learn new habits and form healthier mindsets. Take a look at these ways to reframe your negative self-talk into something more productive. Recognize Your Inner Naysayer As we’ve noted previously in this series, it’s crucial that you recognize your inner naysayer if you hope to learn to manage it. Pay attention to the automatic thoughts that pop into your head that trigger a strong negative reaction in you. Feelings such as fear, anger, sadness, worry, or dread can be indicators that these thoughts are your subconscious working as a defense mechanism. Once you recognize your negative self-talk, you can start to analyze it and determine whether it’s true. Consider the Evidence Don’t hesitate to break these negative messages apart bit by bit. Examine them thoroughly, analyze them, and listen to your gut to discover whether the words are true or if they’re simply automatic thoughts you’ve come to adopt over time due to your insecurities. We all have hang-ups that we’ve developed throughout our lives in various ways. That doesn’t mean these things are true. Look for evidence for and against what your self-talk is telling you. This objectivity can shed a lot of light on the issue. Make It Realistic If the evidence points to the fact that your internal messages are wrong or exaggerated, it’s time to frame them in a more realistic way. Look for words like “always” or “never.” These absolutes are easy to change into more realistic statements. Other messages you’re giving yourself can probably also be reframed into statements that make more sense. Once you begin to view your self-talk in realistic terms, you’ll start to feel more secure in yourself. These are some things to consider when your inner naysayer takes over. Reframing your negative self-talk into something more productive takes practice, but it’s well worth the effort. Doing so will move you closer to embracing self-love. |
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