Evaluating Your Thought Life and Self Talk
Mental Health Note
Megan McCarty, MA, LPC
If you have noted the best seller list in recent years, you are no doubt familiar with these famed self improvement books: The Secret by Rhonda Byrne (recently featured on Oprah), Self Matters Creating Your Life From The Inside Out by Dr. Phil McGraw (world celebrated TV psychologist), and Your Best Life Now 7 Steps to Living At Your Full Potential by Joel Osteen (pastor of Houston’s Lakewood Church). Each of these authors desires to lead people to a more fulfilling and satisfying life through the counsel offered in their books. Rich with insight, guidance, and activities, these books suggest areas to focus on and improve. One main area addressed in each book is the power of your thoughts.
In the mental health field, a person’s thought life is said to have a major impact on daily functioning. Broadly speaking, thoughts can be described as positive or negative, and it is believed that thoughts produce reactions in a person. These reactions in turn affect health and wellness, which makes your thought life an area of wellness that needs to be assessed. If you tend to think predominately negative thoughts, you will no doubt experience negative results/reactions. Physiological and emotional responses such as a sudden shift in mood, increased heart rate, clinched fists, panic, and sweaty palms can all occur as a result of negative thinking. Negative responses, of course, can adversely affect your wellness; therefore, the underlying negative thoughts need to be evaluated. The opposite is true of positive thinking, which leads to experiencing positive results/ reactions. So as you work towards wellness, it is important to consider your thought life.
How do you gauge your thought life? How can you evaluate your functioning and check yourself for detrimental reactions? You must monitor your internal dialogue or self-talk.
Self-talk can be defined as a constant conversation you have with yourself each and every day. As you move throughout your daily life, you are communicating automatic thoughts to yourself. These thoughts may be something you consciously take into account or they may crop up unknowingly. Either way, this constant conversation has the potential to dramatically affect your overall well-being and quality of life, so now is a good time to reflect on it. The two sets of questions below will give you some insight into your self-talk. Take a minute to evaluate what you say to yourself and make sure you are accentuating the positive, rather than dwelling on the negative.
1. When you look in the mirror each morning, what do you see? Do you see ugly and unattractive? Do you immediately notice your flab and pimples and gray hair and wrinkles?
2. How does your mood shift as you criticize and point out all your shortcomings? Do you find yourself despondent and hopeless? Is it difficult to enjoy your daily life feeling so down and out?
OR
1. When you look in the mirror each morning, what do you see? Do you celebrate your beauty inside and out? Do you immediately notice your smooth skin and the amazing color of your eyes? Do you realize your contribution to your family, your kind and giving nature?
2. How does your mood shift as you praise and compliment yourself? Do you feel more upbeat and confident? Are you better able to set out and embrace your daily life?
A subtle shift in your self-talk, described above, can make an unquestionable difference in the pursuit of your wellness. Try it and see! Practice taking fervent steps to change your thoughts from negative to positive. As you analyze and adjust your daily thought life and self-talk, you are likely to be amazed at the results this mental transformation brings to your wellness!
* It is always in your best wellness interest to obtain professional help for severe health concerns. If you find yourself struggling physically or mentally and are not able to function as normal, make sure to visit your primary care physician or find a professional referral from your insurance company. Take responsibility for your health and seek professional assistance as needed. *