Positive Self Talk is one of those coping skills that is rarely taken seriously. But the thing is that it is easy to do, is free, can be done any where and only takes a few minutes from your day. The worst thing that can happen is that you feel silly. So, why not give it a try? But you have to give it an honest go. Do it for at least a week, several times a day. While waiting in line or driving your car, stop a moment and give yourself a quick one line pep talk.
Words can have a lot of power – use the wrong ones, and you probably won’t feel all that great. It is easy to tear ourselves down and focus on the negative things about ourselves or the bad things in our lives. It isn’t that the negative things shouldn’t get our attention. They need attention if we want to improve upon them. The problem is that we focus on them so much that we loose focus of the good things in our lives and in ourselves.
Today, it’s time to embrace a change.
Here is a list of words to use every day. Every day, take 1 minute to think about each of these words. Not all at once. Scatter them through out your day. That’s a total of 6 minutes a day.
1. Happiness
Ask yourself what makes you happy. A favorite ice cream or your favorite color. Your dog? Got a best friend? Just remind yourself of that thing in your life that makes you smile. Just a single sentence. Something like: Joe has the best jokes.
2. Believe
Use the word “believe” in a sentence like “I believe in myself!” or “I believe I can ______.” insert a task that you need to accomplish for the day or the week or maybe a long term goal you’ve been thinking about.
3. Love
At the base of everything is love. Remember to love yourself and those around you. Some good sentences to use are “I love me!” “I deserve to be loved.” It is also good to remind ourselves of the people we love. “I love my children” or insert specific names.
4. Miracle
“Life is a miracle.” Which means, this day, and all others is a gift to you. Remind yourself that you can have nothing else without the miracle that is the life you have been given.
5. Gratitude
This powerful word can change your life. Being grateful attracts more things to be grateful for, which means you should appreciate every little thing in your life, from the rays of the sun that warm your skin, to that fabulous smell after a heavy rain and the cup of coffee that helped you wake up this morning. Just remind yourself what you are grateful for. It can be anything. Something really small or something big. “I am grateful for _____.”
6. Kindness
“Kindness equals happiness.” That’s the sentence to use. It is a reminder to be kind to yourself and the people around you. When we act with kindness we are more likely to receive kindness. When there is kindness in our lives, both in giving and receiving, we are more likely to know happiness.
SO GO GIVE YOURSELF A PEP TALK
Zebra Pig 