

They found the strongest results for self-talk associated with fear of failure and sports anxiety, essentially the athletes experienced higher anxiety when using negative self-talk. They measured these alongside expressions of situation-specific trait performance anxiety: fear of failure, fear of success and sport anxiety. They looked at state-specific self-talk, so the way athletes spoke to themselves while failing, while succeeding, while wishing for success, and while fearing failure.

From sports professionals to losing weight, to combatting depression: changing the way you talk to yourself can have a proactive roll-on effect in behavior changes. In terms of how impactful positive self-talk can be, the research unanimously agrees it’s quite a lot. Positive self-talk sees our internal narrative switching to ideas like ‘ I can do better next time’ or ‘I choose to learn from my mistakes, not be held back by them’.

It’s more about showing yourself some self-compassion and understanding for who you are and what you’ve been through (Jantz, 2019). It’s not about narcissism, or deceiving ourselves into thinking things that are inaccurate. Positive self-talk, as you may have guessed, is the flip of negative self-talk. We then replay these messages in our minds, fuelling negative feelings (Jantz, 2016). Our brains are hardwired to remember negative experiences over positive ones, so we recall the times we didn’t quite get it right more than the times we do. Our patterns of self-talk are all too often negative – we focus on preconceived ideas that we’re ‘ not good enough’ or ‘ always a failure’ or ‘ can’t do anything right’. Self-talk can be positive or negative – and paying attention to which you most often sway towards, can help you start making proactive changes about how you take on life’s challenges. It was Sigmund Freud who first created the idea that we have both conscious and unconscious levels of thought, with unconscious cognitive processes influencing our behavior in ways we don’t realize (Cherry, 2019). Self-talk is generally thought to be a mix of conscious and unconscious beliefs and biases that we hold about ourselves and the world generally.

5 Positive Self-Talk Worksheets (incl.3 Positive Self-Talk Activities for Students.
#Thinkin things 1 browers how to#
How to Use Positive Self-Talk: 4 Strategies and Techniques.10 Examples of Positive Self-Talk Statements and Phrases.Is There any Evidence that Suggests it can Help with Anxiety and Depression?.The Importance and Benefits of Positive Self-Talk.
