In our last post of this little series on what to give up in order to optimize our emotional health, today let’s explore giving up negative self-talk.
Criticism is not feedback. It is often used as a method of control, it can also come from a need to make another person feel lesser than. Why then do we engage it in our own heads?
It is my honestly felt sense that our spirit is never self-critical. That is the ego talking. It is the learned behaviours of our childhood and the messages received as we were growing up – it can come from our learned associations to what is important in terms of success or achievement.
Having a self-check process is important of course. When we make mistakes, we learn valuable lessons. When we do something that is less than our ability, we can make a determined choice to try a little harder. When we hurt someone, we need to be aware of its impact and move to repair.
What becomes important in the process of self-reflection is compassion. When we decide that there is a place for self-empathy, understanding and forgiveness, we can give up the negative self-talk and instead include ourselves in acknowledging our need for love and kindness. It is up to us to give that to ourselves too.
Let’s give up negative self-talk. Our souls will thank us 🙂
Photo credit:Â https://unsplash.com/@srz
this is a difficult one