The path to healing isn't straight or straight forward. What can make the journey longer, inhibiting the healing process is negative self-talk.
Negative self-talk is the inner dialogue you have with yourself where the "conversation" is overly critical, blames, and diminishes your self-worth.
Over time it can lead to cognitive distortions, which are "habitual ways of thinking that are often inaccurate and negatively biased." The disparaging view of yourself can turn into a scary reality and be difficult to dispute.
You may believe the negative thoughts and that you are unworthy of positive change, success, or that you can get better. Studies have shown an increased risk of mental health issues associated with self-blame and negative self-talk.
If you are your greatest cheerleader, believing in yourself and your abilities is crucial to having confidence and being successful. Negative self-talk is demotivating and negates that cheerleader, often silencing her.
Feeling positive and motivated creates the opportunity to see opportunities. When you feel confident about your abilities, you don't set limits on what you can do.
But how do you press the mute button to that hostile critic? Especially if the negative self-talk has been habitual. The first step to solving an issue is to admit that it is an issue. Identifying the negative self-talk and understanding that it has been affecting you is the first brave step.
You are deserving of compassion and empathy. You are deserving of happiness and success. Somatic Therapy is especially helpful in undoing the past conditioning of negative self-talk. By channeling positive thoughts and emotions and leading with compassion for ourselves, Somatic Therapy can ease and eventually erase the distortions and beliefs that have held you back from healing.
Finding ways to create a positive reality for yourself is can help manage those negative distortions. Starting with saying (out loud or silent meditation, whatever you are comfortable with) a few positive affirmations. You can choose any you like. A few examples are:
I love myself and who I am
I am grateful for every day
I believe in myself
I believe in my dreams
I deserve happiness
You could also use the loving-kindness mantra commonly used to start meditations:
May I be safe
May I be happy
May I be healthy
May I live with ease
With love and kindness,
Kerri