What is negative self-talk?
Negative self-talk is our internal dialogue that consists of statements such as “I’m a loser,” or “I’m a failure.” These types of self-talk reinforce our negative beliefs and feelings. Instead of changing our current situation, we keep talking ourselves into a negative place by focusing on the past or the negative aspects of the present. This only serves to reinforce our current situation.
The word self-talk is often used to describe the verbal thoughts we have about ourselves, but it is also a term used in psychology to describe the way we talk to ourselves.
The Toxic Effects of Negative Self-Talk:
1-Perfectionism:
This is another potential toxic effect. It is hard to be proud or content when you constantly believe you are not enough. If you always think you can be doing better, it is difficult to be happy with yourself.
Related:How To Overcome Perfectionism ?
2-Limited Thinking:
If you live your life constantly listening to negative self-talk, you will limit your ability to think outside the box. You will never improve if you always think you’re not good enough and never try new things or change your thinking to be more positive.
3-Relationship challenges:
Negative inner thoughts not only affect us, but they also have a negative impact on all areas of our life, including our relationships. Constantly criticizing yourself can lead to feeling insecure and needy. Your negative self-talk can turn into negative habits that bother others. Your communication skills will deteriorate.
4-Trouble focusing:
when you beat yourself up, it takes a toll on you mentally, especially if the words you use are negative. when you’re trying to concentrate if you do, you won’t be able to focus on your goal and you’ll start feeling bad like irritable, or sad … which makes it harder to concentrate and process information.
Related:How To Stay Focused ?
5-Down feelings:
Negative self-talk can worsen negative emotions and, if left unaddressed, can be detrimental to both your performance and mental health.
Related:How to accept negative emotions ? ”11 Advice”
6-Diminished Self-Esteem:
Your self-esteem can deteriorate if you continue with negative self-talk. This can have a detrimental effect on your mental health, causing depression, anxiety, and other mental illnesses. When your self-esteem is low, you will be less likely to make positive changes in your life.
Related:Low Self-Esteem Causes, Signs, & 10 Ways to Cope
7-Lost opportunities :
Negative thought patterns usually have a mean, bullying tone that makes you doubt all of your good qualities, skills, talents, and abilities. When your inner critic tells you that you’re not good enough, it leads to opportunities being missed.
8-Greater feelings of helplessness:
If you focus on negative thoughts, you may start to feel more helpless. When you feel worthless and unable to help yourself, you likely won’t have the confidence to make positive changes in your life. This can result in you feeling unmotivated and hopeless.
9-Decreased motivation:
Having negative self-talk telling you that you suck and will never be good at anything will immediately begin to drain all motivation. When we start to believe what our inner critic is saying, we become more and more unmotivated.
Related:5 Tips To Supercharge Your Motivation
Related:12 Reasons Why You’re Feeling Restless and Unmotivated
10-Living in fear:
Fear is an emotion that can paralyze you. It can keep you stuck and unable to move forward, often leading to despair and hopelessness. When negative self-talk runs uncontrolled in your mind, fear becomes the filter through which you live your life.
11-Increase Your Stress Levels:
Negative self-talk has been linked to stress. When we focus on our flaws, we feel more stressed. Additionally, if you focus too much on the negatives and are not gentle with yourself, your body may respond with its fight or flight response, an autonomic response that prepares your body and mind for facing danger.
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