Beginning to reprogram our negative thoughts
July 17th, 2008
If you have your doubts about positive self-talk programming, take a minute to examine what your negative self-talk has accomplished. I am sure it is significant.
Unfortunately, we humans are really mean to ourselves. We berate ourselves for gaining weight, failing in relationships, struggling at work, getting into tussles with family, not doing enough for the kids. We fail to let go of the inevitable criticism that comes our way through the years, remembering a kind word of praise for five minutes and a passing swipe until we die. We fixate on the few people who don’t like us, rather than the many who do. The list of sour thoughts that we put in our head and keep there goes on and on and on.
And, since we are sensitive beings, we don’t just acknowledge our shortcomings, we revisit them again and again and again. We remind ourselves how we fall short – and we aren’t even consciously doing it. We cling to nasty remarks that may have been said about us years ago – even decades ago – as though they were true and permanent. We joke about ourselves to others, but while those self-deprecating put-downs may be humorous, they serve to re-enforce our negative self-image. cymbalta and migraine
Fawn Germer is the best-selling author of four books and speaks to corporations and organizations about courages and creative leadership strategies.
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