Speak to yourself with kindness

How you speak to yourself matters.
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I know I'm not the only one who talks to themselves - we all do.
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But, sometimes we speak to ourselves in really unhelpful ways. (Think of some of the things you say to yourself - would you speak to your friends that way?)
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Apart from being bloody annoying and making you feel bad, this voice can stop you from pursuing the life you want to live.
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So, how do you reduce the negative chatter and increase the positive?
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1. Become aware of it. Pay attention to what this voice is saying.
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2. Remind yourself that that the voice is NOT you - this helps to separate the inner critic from your authentic self.
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3. Give it a name. Earlier this week, @helenslatercoach talked about her own inner critic, called Barbara. Mine is called 'Dickhead'. (Not particularly original, but this is the girl who called her fish 'Fish' and her gerbil, 'Gerbil'.)
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4. Talk back to it - tell it to shut up and go away. (“Oi, Dickhead, thanks for your thoughts, but you can do one.”)
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5. Argue back with some kinder words about yourself. You might not want to do this out loud if you're in public - your call.