Self-Talk: What Are You Saying?

Hey, it's Friday! We've all had a long week, and now it's time to relax and enjoy the weekend. But what if you work from home? Or maybe you work the weekends and Fridays just don't matter as much to you. What day do you look forward to the most? Have you ever noticed how much our language changes on different days of the week? In this episode we'll talk about why that is, why it matters, and how we can change our own language to be more positive.

Practicing positive self-talk can help us love ourselves more and avoid the trap of negative thinking that can lead to depression or other mental health issues.

We all have an inner voice, and it's usually pretty loud and opinionated. But what if you're not listening to it? What if you'd rather not hear it? Or what if you're so used to hearing it that you don't even notice anymore?

Well, here's the deal: your inner voice is real. It's real because we all have one—and we all use it every day. We talk to ourselves in our heads all the time, whether we realize it or not. And when the things we say to ourselves are negative and unkind… well, we end up feeling a little low on ourselves. Maybe even depressed!

The good news is that there are ways to change what's going on in your head. One way is by practicing positive self-talk. When you practice positive self-talk, you're telling yourself things like "I'm strong," "I'm capable," or "I can do this."

And it's not just about what you say to yourself—it's about how you say it. If you're going to talk positively about yourself, try giving yourself permission to do so: "I'm allowed to think good thoughts about myself." Then ask yourself if there are any reasons why you shouldn't be kind to yourself. You might find that there aren't any at all!

So now let's talk about some strategies for making this work in real life. First up: setting goals for yourself and tracking your progress toward them. This will help keep you motivated and provide a concrete way for you to measure your progress on a daily basis. As an added bonus: it keeps things interesting!

The more we talk to ourselves, the more our brains will believe what we say.

That can be a problem if you're saying things like "I'm not good enough" or "I'm ugly." But it's also a problem if you're saying things like "I suck at [thing]" or "Life is so unfair," because those kinds of thoughts can lead to depression and other mental health issues.

But when we focus on positive self-talk instead, we can actually change our brains so that they start thinking in a healthier way. It's called neuroplasticity, and it means that your brain is always changing based on how much attention you give it—and how many different types of thoughts you have about yourself.