Greetings UWCEA Community,
What is the first message you hear when you wake in the morning?
When you make a mistake, what is the first thing you say to yourself?
When you hear someone say something negative about you, what is your internal response?
As you continue your self-care routine, pause and think about the messages you are telling yourself about yourself. Are those messages positive and encouraging, or are they negative and demeaning? What is the voice you hear the most each day of your life saying to you at challenging times?
The concept of self-talk is one that we experience frequently throughout our lives, but do not necessarily think about how it is impacting us. The more we consider the messages we are sending ourselves, the more we are able to build our confidence and approach new situations with a healthy mindset.
A recent blog, by the Anna Freud Centre for Children and Families, explored the impact of changing the narrative we tell ourselves, and the effect it has on our self-care. It also explored some of the ideas children shared about their experiences with self-talk, which can be very empowering in times of challenge. Here is the link to learn more about the impact self-talk can have in your life.
We would like to share some additional resources with you as this is a field that continues to grow as a way to deal with whatever life brings our way. Please take a moment to adjust the messages you give yourself by reading these articles when you take some time to listen and reflect:
Self-Talk as the Ultimate Self-Care (Psychology Today)
Steps to Follow To Use Self-Talk as a Strategy To Deal With Feelings of Stress and Anxiousness (Dialogue, August 2020)
These strategies work well when you are in a good space mentally and physically. This is why we continue to encourage you to take some time to practice mindfulness and calming activities to ensure you are ready to receive the positive messages that you deserve, and have the mental strength to counteract the negative ones.
