Self-talk
🏷️ Tào lao
A: A person told me that I was doing self-talk when she saw me murmur to myself. What is self-talk?
B: Self-talk refers to the narration inside your head. It is sometimes called inner speech
A: Is it different from mental imagery?
B: Yes, they are totally different. Specifically, psychologists define self-talk as verbalized thoughts directed to yourself or some facet of your life. This includes personal conversations like “I need to work on free throw”, but it also includes reflections you have throughout the day like “The gym is crowded tonight. I’ll come back tomorrow”
A: If I speak to myself out loud, is it self-talk?
B: Yes, it is also a category of self-talk
A: Why do we self-talk?
B: Psychologists believe our first experiences with self-talk are mostly vocal, as children often speak to themself out loud as they play. Then when we grow older, this outward self-talk tends to become internalized, morphing into a private inner dialogue
A: What is the benefit of self-talk?
B: What you say in these conversations can have real impacts on your attitude and performance. Engaging in self-talk that is instructional or motivational has been shown to increase focus, boost self-esteem, and help tackle everyday tasks
A: Could you demonstrate how it can help?
B: For example, when you play sports, incorporating instructional self-talk into practice will increase your concentration and accuracy. Just as chatting to a friend can help decrease stress, speaking directly to yourself may also help you regulate your emotions. There is a kind of self-talk called distanced self-talk, which is when you talk to yourself as if in conversation with another person. This kind of self-talk was especially beneficial for reducing stress when engaging in anxiety-inducing tasks, such as meeting new people or public speaking, but this is only helpful if you do positive self-talk
A: What do you mean?
B: Negative self-talk, on the other hand, can harm you. Most people are critical of themself occasionally, but when this behavior gets too frequent or excessively negative, it can become toxic. High levels of negative are often predictive of anxiety in children and adults. Those who constantly blame themself for their problems and ruminate on those situations typically experience more intense feelings of depression
A: How can I tackle that?
B: When you are aware that you are doing negative self-talk, you can replace negative thoughts with neutral or more compassionate reflection. Over time, these tools can improve your mental health