How to silence negative self-talk

I ran into a local mom at the grocery store this weekend. As we debated the pros and cons of different kids-themed frozen waffles, I confessed I ate them too. She agreed and noted how quick and easy they are in the morning rather than cooking breakfast for the kids. She added: "I'm a bad mom."

Earlier this week, I made a classic "haste makes waste" mistake at work. It was a silly error, nothing big, and easily (and quickly) discovered and rectified. However, when I realized what happened, the soundtrack playing in my mind the rest of the day was: "I'm dumb" and "I'm an idiot."

See a theme here? The negative self-talk. As parents, professionals, and simply as people, we are so quick to knock ourselves down. Our knee jerk reaction is to call ourselves a name or describe ourselves in a derogatory manner. We don't cut ourselves slack. We feel unnecessarily embarrassed or insecure. Without realizing it, we may also feel the need to be perfect or display the image of perfection. And you know what? It's exhausting, old, and played out.

Let's replace our theme music with the truth: we're human. We obviously make mistakes when we rush. We are busy people who don't always have time (like, most days) to whip up a fresh breakfast. (And the kids are still alive and happy!) So the next time you catch yourself berating yourself as a bad parent, employee, person, or whatever, flip that script: Shrug your shoulders and say, "I'm human." Then move on.

I've been trying this the last several days and it's made a huge difference! Not only does it change the perspective, but it also renders a positive mindset. Win-win! And this week's #mondaymotivation was all about celebrating tiny victories as we settle into our fall routines, so let's count each and every win! For more, click here.

But I have to ask: who here prefers the emoji waffles over the Mickey & Minnie ones....?

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