And sometimes your self-talk is there to loudspeaker that it is time to act. It's rolled around and nagged enough. It is time to try something and give yourself the opportunity to fail or move forward. You need more information than what is left alone in your head. Journal Prompts: If I listened to the nagging I would... I most fear...

When you feel cornered by your self-talk, it's a sign that it is more interested in control than the context. Journal Prompts: The last time I felt cornered by my self-talk was... I feel controlled by my self-talk when... My self-talk missed the context of...

Atrocious self-talk needs a bit of distance to see its aggression and pattern. Distance can happen when you personify your self-talk as its own entity. Who from your past does your self-talk remind you of? What movie character do you hear? What would it smell like? If it had texture, what would it feel like? One of my favorites was someone personifying their self-talk as a Game of Thrones character being shamed and forced to walk naked. Or another, describing their self-talk smelling like the aftermath of burning. Or, the texture of a scratchy sweater you weren't allowed to take off. Journal Prompt: Personify your self-talk.