This post is all about the 5 best ways to reframe your negative self talk.

Our inner voice seems to always find a way to remind us of our fears, sabotage our happiness, and question our self-worth (and all this at the same time…)

Sometimes it will do it by telling us not to approach someone you are interested in because they won’t probably feel the same. Or by keeping us from voicing our opinions because “people don’t care about it”.

Oh also don’t apply for that job you wanted because you probably don’t stand a chance. Or have hopes for an abundant life because you’ve never been good with money.

These and other thousand little comments are running all day long in our minds.

But how can we step away from this voice and *finally* tell it to get lost? How can we turn our inner dialogue around so that instead of diminishing us, it becomes empowering?

In this article, I’m going to share with you the 5 best techniques to take back control and learn to quiet the inner critic down!

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1| Separate yourself from your inner voice

One of the most common beliefs when it comes to our inner voice is that it’s our brain speaking to itself. Kind of like a “me talking to me” situation.

But actually, it’s more of a “third person” talking in your mind.

Our brains have a biological function of looking at the world around us, making sense of it, and turning it into thoughts.

And what does this mean?

Well firstly that you are not your negative thoughts (neither are you your positive ones). And secondly that treating your inner critic like a “third party” will make it so much easier to control it.

You can even give it a funny name so that it’s easier to disassociate it from yourself. (I personally like to call mine satan).

Once you realize this, you can make a deal with it: she gives you a positive or useful thought, and everything else is not allowed.

Doing this will not automatically stop your negative thoughts, but it will make you in charge of them. Every brain is constantly looking for what is wrong with life- it’s a natural defense mechanism.

But when those thoughts are presented to you, remember that you are in charge, not them. So you can take these and try to find the useful side or something more joyful in the picture our brain is painting, instead of blindly believing them.

2| Give interrogative self-talk a try

Did you know that asking ourselves questions instead commandings is a much better way to change your mindset?

And this is actually very simple to do.

 When you catch your inner critic flying out accusations I want you to think: how can I turn these statements into questions?

Asking questions opens up our mindset and makes us question these negative self beliefs.

Here are some examples of how you can do this:

• When have I successfully done this before?
• What if (worst case scenario) actually happened? How would I handle it?
• How might I approach______ if I felt the most confident version of myself?

3| Reframing your negative self talk. Focus on progress, not perfection

Using positive affirmations isn’t always the best option if you don’t truly believe them. It’s like trying to make a hole in a wall by throwing a small rock over and over again.

You might make a dent or two, but it would take you years to make that hole.

So what should you do instead?

To successfully reframe your mindset, try considering who you are becoming, a.k.a. focusing on your progress.

This way you can re-work your affirmations and self talk to go from “I am perfect and successful”l to “I am a work in progress and that is okay”, for example.

The second affirmation is much more believable and will point you in a direction of positive growth that is both realistic and achievable.

It’s all about finding mantras or affirmations that acknowledge the progress you are making and your end goal without feeling delusion when saying them.

Here are a couple more of examples:

4| Look for evidence that your thoughts are true.

Similar to the tip we just talked about, another way to reframe your negative self talk is by looking for evidence that your thoughts are true.

It has been proven many times the power our mind has and how our mindset influences the way we view the world and ourselves. 

But just because you think something is true doesn’t mean it’s actually true.

In fact, most of our thoughts are opinion-based and subjective, not facts.

So look for evidence that your thoughts are true. Ask yourself “What’s the proof that this is true?” and create a mental list of evidence that proves your thoughts. 

Once you are done with this list, think about the possibilities why it might not be true.  Because most times you´ll find that you actually have no reason to believe these. They are just our insecurities and limiting beliefs talking.

5| How to reframe your negative self talk. Make space for a new kind of narrative.

Once you distance yourself from your negative self-talk and realize that you don’t actually have evidence for most of your toxic thoughts, you will start making space for a new kind of narrative.

A more positive and empowering one. And an opportunity to be more intentional with the way you speak to yourself.

Journaling is one of the best ways to consciously make this change by for example having a gratitude journal. 

Another method I love that has really helped me to change my negative beliefs is starting every morning with affirmation cards.

I simply choose one for the day write it in my gratitude journal and try to read it a couple of times a day or put it in a visible place in my workspace. That way I can remind myself of this affirmation whenever my negative inner dialogue (a.k.a. satan)  starts talking. 

There are many affirmation cards out there depending on what you want to focus on (self love, manifestation, mindfulness, etc.). But my all-time favorites will always be these ones.

Most affirmation cards are beautiful. But I just find it difficult to believe the affirmations on them because they are too overly positive and corny. 

(Something you know now is useless as we said in tip #3)

That’s one of the things I love most about this affirmation deck. The affirmations are the perfect balance between positive beliefs that challenge your negative thoughts while still being believable and relatable.

Not to mention their great quality and beautiful aesthetic design.

So if you have ever thought about trying affirmation cards, make sure to check out these ones first!

And that is all for today my friend!

Thank you for investing your time in this article. I hope the tips and resources in it will help you reframe your negative self talk!

Remember that you are worthy of even your deepest and wildest desires!

Now I’d love to hear about you! How would you call your inner voice? Read ya’ in the comments!