Introduction
Positive self-talk is a form of self-talk that focuses on the positive aspects of your life. It’s like giving yourself a pep talk, but instead of saying negative things like “I’m not good enough” or “people don’t like me,” you say positive things like “I am smart” and “everyone likes me.”
Positive self-talk helps you build confidence from within by reminding yourself that you are good enough and capable of achieving anything that you set your mind to. It also helps boost your mood when things aren’t going well because it keeps your mind focused on the present rather than dwelling on any past failures or disappointments that may be causing unhappiness at this moment in time (which often leads to more emotional distress).
The Science Behind Positive Self Talk
The science behind positive self talk is simple. The brain is a complex organ that can be broken down into three main parts: the hypothalamus, amygdala and prefrontal cortex. The hypothalamus is responsible for regulating your body’s basic functions such as hunger, thirst and temperature; the amygdala processes emotions like fear and anger; while the prefrontal cortex controls higher level thinking skills like planning ahead or deciding between right/wrong decisions (1).
So how do we use this information to improve our confidence? Let’s start with understanding how our brains work!
The benefits of positive self talk go beyond simply boosting confidence levels–it can also help us achieve success in other areas of life too! Positive thoughts give us momentum towards achieving goals because they allow us to focus on what we want rather than what we don’t want. In addition, having an optimistic outlook increases productivity by 40 percent compared to people with negative thoughts which decreases productivity by 15 percent (3).
Positive self-talk can help you feel confident and build your self-esteem.
Positive self-talk can help you feel confident and build your self-esteem. It’s one of the most effective ways to boost your confidence and improve your mood, which in turn makes it easier to achieve all of your goals.
Positive self-talk can help you overcome fear, anxiety and depression by changing how you think about yourself and the world around you.
- Increase our sense of self worth when we talk positively about ourselves
- Become more open minded towards others
- Experience less stress because we feel more accepted – this reduces blood pressure levels as well as stress hormones such as cortisol
How to Use Positive Self Talk in Your Life
Positive self-talk is a skill that can be learned. In fact, it’s one of the most powerful tools you have to build confidence and increase your self-esteem. Here are some tips:
- Practice positive self-talk every day. For example, instead of saying “I’m not good enough,” try saying something like “I can do anything if I work hard enough.”
- Think about what kind of person you want to be before going into any situation–whether it’s an interview or meeting with someone new–and remind yourself that this is how you want others to see you!
- If someone says something negative about your appearance or abilities at work, think about whether there might be some truth in what they said (e.g., perhaps they’re right) but then remind yourself that it doesn’t matter because other people don’t define who we really are as individuals; only our own actions matter!
Know what you’re saying to yourself.
The first step to using positive self-talk effectively is knowing what you are saying to yourself. The best way to do this is by keeping a journal of your thoughts and feelings each day, so that you can look back on them later and see how they have changed over time. If you don’t want to keep a journal (or just want another method), try writing down affirmations that reflect the kind of person who believes in themselves and has confidence in their abilities–these can be things like “I am strong,” “I am capable,” etc., or even something more specific like: “When I’m frustrated with work, I know that there’s always room for improvement.”
Once again though: don’t just say these things out loud! The real power comes from thinking them over and over again until they become part of how we see ourselves as individuals–and eventually become part of our identity as well!
Don’t judge your thoughts.
Your thoughts are just thoughts. They’re not reality, they’re not facts and they don’t have to be taken seriously. You can observe them without judging them as good or bad, true or false. The more you do this, the better you’ll get at recognizing when your mind is making up stories about how things should be (instead of accepting how they actually are). The more relaxed you become when observing your thoughts in this way–and the less attached you feel toward them–the easier it will be for them to stop controlling your moods so much!
Don’t lie to yourself.
- Remember that you’re trying to build confidence, not a facade.
- Don’t tell yourself things that aren’t true and don’t pretend to be someone you’re not just because it makes other people feel good or helps them believe in themselves more than they already do. If you want to build real confidence from within, then honesty with yourself is essential!
Reframe negative self-talk.
Self-talk is a powerful tool. It can be used to positively influence your life, or it can be used to tear you down. The choice is yours. But how do we turn negative self-talk into positive?
There are many ways to reframe negative self-talk:
- Don’t take it personally
- Don’t be hard on yourself
- Don’t think about the past
- Don’t let your thoughts control you
- Reframe your thoughts about failure as opportunities for growth (and then act accordingly!)
Conclusion
The key to using positive self-talk is to be aware of what you’re saying to yourself. This means that if you catch yourself engaging in negative self-talk, you can stop it before it gets out of hand. You can also use positive self-talk to help build confidence and improve your mood throughout the day!
