Stepping up the SELF TALK

How the words we use towards ourselves affect our wellbeing

Being asked how you talk to yourself might seem a little bit loopy, but it's actually extremely important to have constructive and supportive stream of self-dialogue.

Dr John Demartini, human behaviour specialist and founder of the Demartini Institute, explains how negative or self-depreciative dialogue can be detrimental to your confidence, resilience and self-esteem.

WHAT EXACTLY IS SELF-TALK?

Your self-talk is the internal dialogue that you have with yourself throughout the day and night.

"For example, if you miss a deadline that you or others may have imposed and think, 'I'm so disorganised' - that's self-talk," says Dr Demartini. "Don't think of your self-talk as necessarily 'good' or 'bad', it's quite simply a way of keeping you accountable to living in alignment with your true highest values and offers you important feedback.

"It can make you aware of whether or not you're living your life on your own terms and living out your highest-priority actions that are most meaningful and productive for you and those that you care about most - rather than living out much lower-priority actions in subordination to others."

WHAT HAPPENS IF IT BECOMES DESTRUCTIVE?