Our negative self-talk is possibly the most disempowering aspect of our mind. It’s an extension of our survival instinct, honed over millions of years of evolution.
Our mind is always watching out for danger. In today’s world actual life and death situations thankfully rarely occur, so when it can’t identify a danger easily, it looks harder. When it still can’t find anything to be properly scared of, it makes stuff up, exaggerates small things and remains on high alert because it doesn’t like having nothing to focus on.
The part of the brain that does this is the amygdala. It serves us sometimes (like when we jump out of the way of an oncoming car before we consciously realise what’s happening). But it needs to be trained and reassured.
With practice we can teach our highly evolved thinking brain (pre-frontal cortex) to reassure the caveman’s amygdala in advance and on the spot.
But, as you will hear me say often, this requires practice and repetition.
When I’m coaching a client I can work with them to identify the exact sentences they often hear in their head, work out a more positive way to reframe it, and then work together to SWITCH! and practise the positive voice. They need to do a lot of work on this between sessions, but it works very well when they do.
There is a new video in The Resilience Hub this week with examples of what you can SWITCH!
If you haven’t signed up yet, why wait? There is a free version and lots of useful content in there.
Until next week, take care,
All the best,
Lisa.
