Sometimes You Have to Tell Yourself to Shut Up
Dr. David Rafeedie
More times than we would like to admit, we must tell ourselves to shut up. Why? Because we lie to ourselves far too much, and we discourage ourselves constantly. I am talking about negative self-talk. Here is a fact about self-talk, you speak to yourself more than anyone else. So, what you say is important. It can be encouraging, or it can be demoralizing.
Negative self-talk loves to blame you for everything. It loves to focus on mistakes, and it uses hyperbole to make you think it is the end of the world. And negative self-talk rarely sees the grey areas of life. To negative self-talk, everything is black and white. The bottom line: Your negative self-talk does not like you.
On the other hand, positive self-talk is encouraging. It will energize you and give you resilience. Positive self-talk is far more objective that gives you a better perspective on the world around you. Your positive self-talk likes you.
So why do you listen more to your negative self-talk than you do to your positive self-talk? Because you have conditioned yourself to accept it. To which one do you think you should listen? (Rhetorical question). Here is one good technique to follow to help you shut your negative self-talk up and give your positive self-talk a louder voice. I call it the Replacement Principle. Here is how it works.
When you get negative self-talk, recognize it for what it is. Sometimes we get so used to the negative self-talk we do not realize it for what it is.
After you recognize it, stop thinking about it! Capture that thought and reject it immediately. You control what you think. You believe and do whatever you are telling yourself, so do not allow yourself to be governed by negative self-talk.
Replace it with a positive truth about yourself, preferably the opposite of the negative thought. This is not a mind game! Replace it with the truth about yourself.
Simple, right? Right. But not always easy because you are used to giving negative self-talk free reign. Keep in mind; you have control over what you think. It is your choice which voice you will allow being the loudest in your head. Sometimes you have to tell yourself to shut up!
Tip: Remember, your negative self-talk does not like you, but you have control over what you think and, therefore, power over the negative self-talk. Practice the Replacement Principle, and it will become a habit.