How To Stop The Negative Chatter In Your Head | 12 Tips
Grace Being Have you ever stopped to reflect on how you speak to yourself? Or perhaps you’re aware of it but can’t figure out how to stop the negative chatter in your head. The majority of people are so identified with their thoughts that they don’t even realize the kind of negative conversations they have with themselves.
Whether we’re aware of it or not, this kind of negative chatter affects how we feel about ourselves, our life choices, relationships, and how we perceive the world around us. It can be incredibly detrimental to our well-being and overall happiness.
Common negative chatter in your head may include thoughts like:
“You’re not good enough!”
“Don’t say anything; they will laugh at you.”
“You will fail; don’t even think about it.”
“Everyone hates me and thinks I’m a loser.”
12 Tips on how to stop the negative chatter in your head.
1. Practice Mindfulness
Becoming aware of the narrative that you are telling yourself is the first step towards freedom. Practicing mindfulness helps you catch yourself when you start beating yourself down with negative comments. This gives you an opportunity to take a step back and question your thoughts. But what does practicing mindfulness look like? Here are some simple ways which help you become more mindful to stop the negative chatter in your head:
- taking some time for yourself and observing your thoughts
- walking mindfully observing your surroundings using your senses, particularly sight, sound, touch and smell
- pay attention to simple tasks even when doing daily tedious tasks like washing dishes
Related: Meditation In Daily Life | Using Meditation To Deal With Anxiety And Negative Thoughts | How Mindfulness Empowers Us
2. Experiment with different forms of meditation
Meditation is a great way to train your mind to become still. The nature of the mind is to wonder off, think, and analyze everything. So don’t give up as soon as you notice your mind drifting away in thoughts. The magic happens every time you consciously attend your attention back to a chosen point of focus, whether it is your breath, a mantra, or a bodily sensation. There are different forms of meditation you can try and see what works best for you.
- mindfulness meditation
- body scanning meditation
- mantra meditation
- movement meditation
3. Have conscious conversations with yourself
Most of the negative chatter in our head is unconscious. When we are unaware of how we speak to ourselves, it’s like we are on autopilot, operating by following a program which does not serve us. People tend to invest so much energy, time and effort in their relationships, and they neglect the most important relationship, the one with themselves. Dedicate some quiet time for yourself and ask yourself as if you were speaking to a friend. Ask yourself: “How are you feeling today?” “How was your day?” “Why are you feeling low today?” “What could you have done better to have better results?”
4. Use mindfulness cognitive behavioral therapy
This technique works wonders if you struggle with negative chatter in your head. It’s super effective as it makes you aware of how you perceive things, and gradually shifts your perception to new possibilities. After some practice, you realize that you are open to new perceptions which you couldn’t even think of before because of your rigid thinking patterns. Mindfulness cognitive behavioral therapy helps you shift to a positive mindset and open up to new opportunities.
5. Journaling
This task might seem so simple and basic yet it is so effective. Writing down your thoughts and feelings helps you develop a deeper understanding of who you are. Sometimes it can feel overwhelming, and you might be struggling to stop the negative chatter in your head. Putting everything down on paper is relieving in itself as you transfer the heaviness of these negative thoughts on paper. You also gain clarity and find it easier to organize your thoughts.
6. Practice self-compassion
The last thing you want to do if you catch yourself having negative thoughts is beating yourself down with more negative chatter. Your mind is designed to be efficient and effective in whatever you feed it. So if you have been feeding your mind negative thoughts, it has become efficient in producing more negative thoughts. Being self-compassionate helps you be less judgmental on yourself and makes it easier to let these thoughts go. By practice you will become better at stopping the negative chatter in your head, it’s just a matter of time.
7. Enhance your emotional intelligence
Emotional intelligence is an important element in your life journey which can help you maintain a positive outlook on life. Having a high emotional quotient (EQ), means that you are able to identify and manage your own emotions, as well as others’. It also helps you stay motivated, be solution focused, and makes it easier to overcome self negative chatter in your head. So why is emotional intelligence so important? Emotional intelligence is a key to your success, whether in your personal or professional relationships.
8. Repeat positive affirmations
Repeating positive affirmations helps you counter argue the self-negative chatter in your head. We are all born as a blank slate, as explained by Rousseau. We develop limiting beliefs through our experiences. Our brain learns by repetition, and the same way your negative chatter in your head became your truth and your reality, you can train your brain to learn new beliefs which support your growth and personal development. Repeating positive affirmations helps you unlearn what you have learned, and make space for new beliefs which help you achieve your goals.
Related: Am I enough?
9. Practice gratitude
Being thankful for all your blessings helps you shift from your negative chatter to a positive mindset. We have a habit of taking things for granted, and we don’t realize how blessed we are because we are too busy complaining about everything that’s wrong in our lives. Energy flows where focus goes, and people don’t realize that they are stuck focusing on what they DON’T WANT. Reminding yourself of your blessings raises your vibration, and helps you stop the negative chatter that goes in your head. Start focusing on what you want instead of what you don’t want and you will start attracting positive things into your life.
10. Don’t believe everything your mind tells you
Have you ever stopped to question your thoughts and beliefs? Most people mistake their thoughts, perceptions and beliefs for truth. However, changing your mindset will show you that your thoughts and beliefs are not necessarily true. The next time you tell yourself that you aren’t good enough, take a step back and question it. Try to dig in and see where that thought is coming from. Just because you are thinking it, does not mean that it’s a fact. Questioning your thoughts is a powerful way to stop the negative chatter in your head as you start becoming more aware of the self-narrative that you are telling yourself.
11. Challenge yourself out your comfort zone
Trying new things and pushing yourself out of your comfort zone is one of the best ways to prove your negative self chatter wrong. Change is uncomfortable because humans are security and comfort seeking beings. Your ego wants to keep you comfortable and protect you from anything that makes you uncomfortable. However, growth is one of the basic needs that leads to fulfillment. To grow and expand, you need to take risks and try new things which feel unfamiliar to you. The negative chatter in your head will try to stop you from going forward. But if you want to grow and achieve your goals, it is essential that you push through and overcome your fears so you can take yourself to the next level.
12. Learn new things
Learning new things is a part of our growth and personal development. The negative chatter in our head might inhibit us from learning new things as we might underestimate our capabilities. Most people operate from a place of fear and insecurity, and they set limitations on themselves. They limit themselves to a specific set of skills. Investing in yourself and learning new skills is a powerful way to boost your self-confidence and helps you overcome self-doubt.
What happens if you stop the negative chatter in your head?
Success! The main difference between successful people and those who give up is the ability to ignore the negative thoughts and self-doubt. Having self-doubt is a common factor in human beings. However, successful people are able to find their inner strength and overcome their fears.
FAQ
Follow these 12 tips:
1. Practice mindfulness
2. Experiment with different forms of meditation
3. Have conscious conversations with yourself
4. Use cognitive behavioral therapy
5. Journaling
6. Practice self-compassion
7. Enhance your emotional intelligence
8. Repeat positive affirmations
9. Practice gratitude
10. Don’t believe everything your mind tells you
11. Challenge yourself
12. Learn new things
Negative mental chatter is the voice in your head also known as the inner critic. The narration that you tell yourself impacts how your perceive yourself, the world, and your life choices. Replacing negative thoughts with positive ones improves your mental health and boost up your self-confidence.
