Self-talk is the internal dialogue or inner voice that people have with themselves. It can be verbal or nonverbal, and can range from giving yourself instructions to making observations about your surroundings. Self-talk can be purposeful or random, and can be internal or external. You might not be aware that you’re doing it but you almost certainly are. This inner voice starts from the time you wake up until the time you go to bed and can help you process experiences, make decisions, and ask questions.

Self-talk can have a significant impact on your mental health and well-being. It can impact how you feel, what you do and even how you manage pain. It can be supportive and motivate you, or it can be negative and lower your confidence.

Positive self-talk can help you feel more confident, motivated, and optimistic. It can also help you regulate your emotions, work more efficiently, and attain your goals.

Negative self-talk can be very critical and focus on the bad. It’s been linked to disorders like depression, anxiety, low self-esteem, aggression, and post-traumatic stress disorder.

Here are some tips to improve your self-talk: -Be aware: Monitor your self-talk and become aware of your thought patterns. -Challenge negative thoughts: Dispute negative thoughts with evidence and replace them with positive, more realistic thoughts. -Use positive affirmations: Use positive affirmations and self-talk to overcome negative thinking. -Celebrate successes: When you complete a task or reach a milestone, take a moment to recognize your accomplishment. -Use a journal: Write down your favorite quotes or the positive thoughts that work best for you.

If you mainly think positively about yourself, you will feel good and optimistic most of the time. Research show that positive self-talk can: -improve self-esteem, stress management and well-being; -reduce symptoms of depression and anxiety; -reduce your risk of self-harm and suicide; -make you feel more in control of your life; -help with pain; -help you to achieve your goals.

Positive self-talk helps you feel better about yourself. Here are some tips to improve your positive self-talk: -Practice thinking good things about yourself. Very simply, practice seeing a glass as being half full, rather than half empty. -Identify your strengths as part of your self-talk and accept compliments for what you have achieved. -Look, think and act in a positive way. -Surround yourself with positive and optimistic people. -Try to turn negative talk into neutral or positive self-talk.

Researchers continue to explore the effects of positive thinking and optimism on health. Health benefits that positive thinking may provide include: -Increased life span; -Lower rates of depression; -Lower levels of distress and pain; -Greater resistance to illnesses; -Better psychological and physical well-being; -Better cardiovascular health and reduced risk of death from cardiovascular disease or stroke; – Reduced risk of death from cancer; -Reduced risk of death from respiratory conditions; -Reduced risk of death from infections; -Better coping skills during hardships and times of stress.

So as you can see, there are many benefits to positive self-talk and thinking. If you would like to work on your self-talk contact Becky or Deb at (515) 391-3233 at TWC or stop by our office at 8 West Church Street and we would be happy to work with you on your positive self-talk.

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Becky Brown and Deb Williams are the cofounders

of Together We Can, a mental health nonprofit based

in Marshalltown.