Cultivating Self-Kindness: A Game-Changer for Negative Self-Talk
How to rewrite your self-talk: A 3-Step journey to cultivating self-compassion.
What’s wrong with me?
I don’t know why I can’t figure this out.
I might as well just give up now.
Have you ever found yourself entangled in a web of self-deprecating questions?
How did you respond? Did you notice that the more you criticized yourself, the darker your thoughts became?
It’s a familiar pattern. When negative thoughts about ourselves take hold, they tend to linger. When you’re trapped in a negative thinking spiral, the more you condemn yourself the more negative neuro-associations you create about yourself. And the more you speak negatively about yourself when you next face another difficult experience, your default becomes self-criticism.
But here’s the good news: You have the power to break free from this cycle by cultivating self-kindness.
I stumbled upon this transformative process in Rick Hanson’s book, “Just One Thing.” The next time you catch yourself in the grip of self-doubt or negative self-talk, notice what’s happening and use this process.
