Repetitive and distorting, self-talk can be incredibly misleading when it tries to interpret your current experience. A common cycle might look like: Review inadequacies. Feel bad. Ridicule and berate yourself. Feel bad. Make a plan to do differently. Feel a little less bad. Limp forward. Journal Prompt: My cycle...

What your self-talk often misses, is the gray. Internal rigidity is perpetually on defense and declines the off-ramp of alternative interpretations. Journal Prompts: My rigidity says... An alternative interpretation would be...

Some of the most distressing self-talk is the type that moves you toward isolation. When your self-talk is moving you to isolation, it is a signal that your least objective self is taking the mic. Journal Prompts: My isolating self-talk sounds like... My least objective self...

Your internal dialogue—like a news ticker—is self-talk. Sometimes it sounds like your favorite coach. Sometimes it sounds like a dictator. Sometimes it sounds like your wild aunt. Despite your current flavor of self-talk, your behavior and emotional states take note. We all need strategies to remain living the life we want, despite the hijacking attempts of self-talk. Journal Prompts: My self-talk sounds like... My current strategy is...