Self-talk your most important conversation of the day
It is your internal dialogue, setting your mood. So be careful of what you allow to influence your thoughts, emotions, and heart.
It is often said we are our own worse critics. Self reflection is good but we must be honest. Our thoughts, internal dialogue can be uplifting or damaging. Just as words adults speak over children influence their outlook, so does the words we contemplate influence our outlook.
When practicing mindfulness we are instructed not to judge just to accept as is. It is necessary however once we find ourselves in a place we should not be or do not want to be, to act! We need to act, not react, not stall out but to carefully move to a better place. This is in our relationships, thoughts, and jobs.
It goes without saying the tone of your internal dialogue is dependent on your personality. If you are an optimist versus a pessimist influences how you interpret your world.. However, we are able to change the overall tenor of our self-talk with time, patience and care.
It is necessary to identify our negative thinking, they fall into four main categories.
- Personalizing, blaming ourselves for things we have no control over.
- Magnifying, focusing only on the negative aspects.
- Catastrophizing, expecting the worse will occur.
- Polarizing allowing for no middle ground.
The health benefits of positive self-talk is greater satisfaction of life, reduce pain, and improved immune function.
You can not change who you are overnight, but if you can practice being honest with yourself . You can gradually learn to reframe some of the negative conversations you have with yourself and others.
As you reframe your thoughts; meanings, thinking and behaviors changes also can occur.
Prov. 4:23 AMP
Watch over your heart with all diligence,
For from it flow the springs of life.
Eccles. 3:1-8 AMP
There is a season (a time appointed) for everything and a time for every delight and event or purpose under heaven—
A time to be born and a time to die;
A time to plant and a time to uproot what is planted.
A time to kill and a time to heal;
A time to tear down and a time to build up.
A time to weep and a time to laugh;
A time to mourn and a time to dance.
A time to throw away stones and a time to gather stones;
A time to embrace and a time to refrain from embracing.
A time to search and a time to give up as lost;
A time to keep and a time to throw away.
A time to tear apart and a time to sew together;
A time to keep silent and a time to speak.
A time to love and a time to hate;
A time for war and a time for peace.
1Pet. 5:8 AMP
Be sober [well balanced and self-disciplined], be alert and cautious at all times. That enemy of yours, the devil, prowls around like a roaring lion [fiercely hungry], seeking someone to devour.