How do you talk to yourself? Could changing that change everything?

My healing has predominantly been about adjusting how I talk to myself. My “natural” self-talk is not encouraging. It is admonishing.

Over the last 6 years I have learned to actively engage with the critical voice in my head. It felt strange to me until I realised that I was already talking to myself all the time, it just wasn’t an active choice.

I no longer react to the fears and criticisms that play out in my mind. Instead, I respond to them with curiosity and encouragement. When I do this, I am not only changing the script, I am reforming a pattern that I developed over decades.

This active effort has brought me so much self-discovery, peace, confidence, and boldness. When I remember all that I have gained from actively talking to myself, I become less afraid of self-soothing in a crowded room.