Be Careful What You Say to Yourself-Your Mind Is Listening

"When you put yourself down, your mind believes what you say—that you are inadequate, flawed, incompetent, destined to fail, and so on. Your mind doesn't take a moment to reflect, sift through the facts at hand, evaluate premises, and examine evidence to determine whether self-talk is true or not. It believes what it hears, and what it hears is what you say to yourself under your breath. What you say to yourself has sticking power, affecting your deepest feelings about yourself and sapping motivation to move on with your life."

"Words have power, so isn't it time to use the power of your inner speech to change how you feel about yourself? Change Can Happen, But Only if You Make It Happen Many people wait for life to come to them rather than making life happen. They may defer making changes because the status quo seems safer and more familiar, no matter how ungratifying it may be."

"The insight fallacy—the belief that deep insight into the psyche is needed for change—keeps people from making changes in the “here and now” that can have profound effects on the lives they live. They may spend years waiting for that elusive magic moment when insight shines its heavenly spotlight on them, empowering them to make the changes they could have made much earlier. But change can only occur “in the now,” not in the indefinite future."

"Some people act like their minds are anchored in cement. They outright refuse to consider that thoughts in their heads are only opinions, not statements of fact. Thoughts have no power over us apart from the power we bestow on them. A thought is but a fleeting mental experience that pa"

Self-talk influences what the mind accepts as true, without evaluating evidence. Negative self-directed statements lead the mind to believe claims about inadequacy, flaws, incompetence, and failure, which can deepen negative feelings and reduce motivation. Words carry power, so inner speech can be used to improve self-perception. Meaningful change requires action in the present rather than waiting for a future “magic moment” or relying on deep psychological probing. Thoughts are opinions, not facts, and they have no power unless attention and belief are given to them. Changing the way thoughts are framed can shift thinking and emotional outcomes.

Read at Psychology Today