Is it Normal to Talk to Yourself? For a good number of people, talking to yourself is a normal act performed with every sense of sanity without any behavioral or mental health concerns. Self-talk has a number of benefits, especially as regards performance improvement, capacity building, and overall wellbeing.
Words are very powerful and studies have shown it is important to have the right words to say when you talk to yourself as it is considered important to your mental and psychological well-being. Research shows people who were verbally abused when they are growing up end up socially withdrawn or mentally disturbed as adults.
If you happen to be one of such people, you may find that you have low self-esteem. Among other things, talking to yourself can help you get rid of it. One way you can boost your self-confidence is by speaking positively to yourself.
What To Say When You Talk To Yourself
Words are more powerful than most people realize. In fact, some schools of thought have gone as far as suggesting that the energy generated by negative or positive words can change the physical structure of an object. While we can’t validate that claim, psychologists have relentlessly advocated that the words we hear, and the ones we say to ourselves, can shape our lives. For instance, Andrew Newberg, M.D, and Mark Robert Waldman concluded in a study that positive words can change one’s brain and influence the way we see ourselves and the people we interact with.
If what we tell ourselves is that significant, then it is important to get rid of negative words when we talk to ourselves. Below are some examples of positive things to tell yourself.
- I can do this! How slowly I go hardly matters as long as I do not stop. I will learn to measure myself in strength, not pounds; I am strong.
- Start competing with yourself. One of the biggest tragedies in life is being who others want you to be, instead of being who you are. I can’t be someone else, it is a waste of who I am.
- I must set realistic goals and always be who I am. I must learn how to express myself and have faith in what I am. It is not ideal to look for a successful personality and try to duplicate it.
- I must prefer to be true to myself at all time rather than being who I’m not to please others. I care for myself. The more I learn to enjoy my company, the more I will respect myself.
- I may not be able to do everything, but I should be able to do some things. And because I cannot do everything, I must not fail in doing the things I can do. I must choose to focus on the things I can control. If I can’t change the world, I can at least change my corner of it.
- Starting from now and always, I must choose to become better and better. I am unique and special; so I choose to see the good in who I am. If I do not value myself, it will be difficult for me to value anything or anyone.
Encouraging Things to Say To Yourself to Boost Your Self Esteem
Sadly, in recent times, people are not readily available to help others. Given that, and the fact that life can be very challenging, you will need to be your own support system from time to time. A good way to go about this is knowing the right words to say that will uplift your spirit.
If you are in a really bad state of mind, you can start pulling yourself out of it by speaking the following words to yourself; they will go a long way in boosting your self-esteem and helping you see how valuable you are to the people around you and the world at large.
- The worst loneliness is to not be comfortable with me, I can and I will do things to promote healing in my life. I can overcome my fear, the world has a need for me.
- I’m not perfect and that’s okay; it’s not my responsibility to be beautiful. I’m not alive for that purpose. My existence should not be about how desirable and attractive people find me.
- I will inhale confidence and exhale doubt, I am important, I am smart, I am unique. I don’t care what other people think; today, I will celebrate me.
- If I look for someone to validate who I am by seeking their approval, I am setting myself up for disaster. I must be whole and complete in myself. No one can give me that. I have to know who I am, what others think or say is irrelevant to who I must become.
- Everything that happens to me is related to what I believe about myself. I cannot outperform the level of my self-esteem, I am imperfect but I’m perfectly me, my smile can make someone feel better. I matter.
- I will do something I’m not willing to do, I can reach out for help if I need it, there’s nothing embarrassing about that; people need people.
Positive Things To Say To Yourself
- I must always be ready to take on another day and I will keep going because I believe in myself. It should never be too late to succeed, I’ve been successful in the past so I can still make it.
- Every journey begins with a single step and I can handle this one step at a time and not wait for the right time.
- My confidence is beautiful, I refuse to give up because I haven’t tried all possible ways. It is too early to give up on my aspirations. My life is filled with possibility and I can make a difference.
- Today is a new day and I will see what adventure it holds. I refuse to be tossed around by my problems, I will be led by my dreams. My problem has a solution and I must find it.
- I define my future, my past does not. A decade from now I will be more heartbroken by the things that I didn’t do than the ones I did do. Things will surely work out, if it is yet to work out, then it’s not the end.
- I know the answer is right before me, even if I do not see it now. I must focus on my talents as I have incredible things to share with the world. As long as I am alive, I must be ready to be awesome.
- I must never be bullied into silence or allow myself to be the victim. Neither must I accept people’s definition of my life. I must define myself because I am special and it is a waste to change myself for anyone.
Is Talking To Yourself Bad or Good?
From the foregoing, you must have realized that it is okay to talk to yourself. Contrary to what one may think, talking to yourself doesn’t mean you are running out of your mind. It is normal and has been said to be good for mental health if the conversations are positive.
You should only worry about talking to yourself if what you are saying is in response to the voices you hear. This may be as a result of an impaired relationship with reality often associated with psychosis which manifests in form of delusions and hallucinations.
Otherwise, it is alright to talk to yourself, almost everyone does. And, studies have shown that apart from improving your sense of worth, talking to yourself in a positive way can help process difficult feelings, stay focus, and motivate yourself. The following are scenarios where you may need to talk to yourself and the things you should say.