Your internal monolog or the “voice inside your head” plays an important role in it can help you recognize how you see yourself and become aware of the thoughts that you have. A positive internal monolog is beneficial as it can help to decrease stress and relieve anxiety and depression. Your internal monolog is also a direct reflection of how you see and communicate in the world. This means a positive internal voice will reflect in positive actions externally and a positive view of the world!
A tip on how to shift your internal monolog:
It starts with awareness! Be aware of your inner voice and pay attention to what it is saying. Notice that not everything your inner voice says is true, the more you begin to realize this the easier it is to start to shift your thoughts and see your negative inner voice as not true.
- An exercise that helps with this- Pause throughout the day for 1 minute to ask:
- What am I thinking about right now?
- What am I feeling right now?
- You can remember to do this exercise by setting alarm reminders to go off randomly. You can also put a sticky note on your mirror that you’ll see everytime you wash your hands and look in the mirror (this is a great time to check in with yourself)!
Once you have awareness about your internal monolog, then you can start to identify what you’re thinking or saying to yourself that is holding you back. The easiest way to do this is to reframe the negative thoughts to be positive ones (ex: “This is a struggle for me” to “This is an opportunity for me to grow!”). Then anytime you notice yourself having that negative thought, you pause in that moment and say to yourself. I choose to see this in a positive way and repeat the positive phrase to yourself. If you want to learn more tips about how to shift your internal monolog, reach out to Kitty for additional support!