Materials Needed:

A quiet space
A notebook or digital device for notes
Timer
Course Outline:

1. Introduction (1 Minute)

Briefly explain what positive self-talk is and why it’s important.
Example: “It’s like rooting for myself and it will push myself and overcome my challenge. It helps in managing stress, boost confidence.”

2. Recognize Negative Self-Talk (1 Minute)

Identify a recent situation where you experienced negative self-talk.
Example: “Think about a time this week when you doubted yourself. What were you saying to yourself?”

3. Challenge And Reframe (1.5 Minutes)

Guide yourself to challenge the negative self-talk.
Example: “Now, question these thoughts. Are they really true? How can you reframe them into something positive?”
Exercise: Convert three negative statements into positive ones.
Negative: “I can’t do this.”
Positive: “I can try my best and learn something new.”
Positive: “I takes some pain to grow.”

4. Visualization And Affirmation (1 Minute)

Visualize successfully completing the task while using their new positive statements.
Example: “Close your eyes, breathe deeply, and imagine yourself successfully completing the task using your positive affirmations.”

5. Commitment And Conclusion (0.5 Minute)

Commit to using these positive affirmations daily.
Example: “Write down your positive affirmations on a sticky note and place it where you’ll see it every day.”

Follow-Up:

Suggest keeping a daily journal of their self-talk for the next week and noting how it impacts your mood and actions.
This structured mini-course can be adjusted as needed based on specific fears or tasks they are facing. It serves as a quick, actionable way to instill a habit of positive self-talk.

Here are more ideas:
Think of yourself like a spring…. For example, you feel yourself get really tight and caught up and ‘in your mind’ withthe negative thoughts keep coming over and over again. This is natural and it happens to all of us. But a spring eventually releases, and you have to think about having the control to release the spring.  Sometimes you just need to let the stress go.  Also, you can think of the energy you neings – like go to your medical appointment, or do something that you need to do for your family, or take the time that you need to do for yourself.  Even just opening the door and taking a walk outside, and having a moment for yourself, and doing something enjoyable – is a moment for yourself.

Try to visualize this and use the energy of the spring. If the spring is not a good example, think of yourself, maybe where you’re like a rubber band that’s stretching and stretching and stretching, and eventually, a rubber band stretches back. So all the negative energy can be applied to rebound into positive energy. You just need to be able to understand that this is where you are right now – this is called insight. Without insight nothing can be accomplished and within sight everything can be accomplished. This is truly the first step. Once you have insightof what is happening (i.e. tight as spring or stretched like a rubber band,  it is very likely you know it is happening because these are the symptoms are often reported – such as “I’m anxious” or ” I get so scared” or I don’t have the motivation” or some other saying that we always hear commonly from others or from ourselves.

The key when you hear that statement when you feel that feeling, this is when you need to release the energy of the spring or say I’m going to take all this negative and then slingshot it like a rubber band into positive energy.. so in that moment to be able to do what is needed to do.

Why is this important? This is actually getting you to achieve something that you thought you couldn’t achieve before, and these small achievements and small positive steps will lead you to make more positive steps. It can be as simple as that… however, you need to understand that it takes a long time sometimes to create a habit.  Even if you don’t like that word habit (I don’t like either). It takes a long time then to make a ‘pattern’ where instead of giving into that feeling or that statement in your head.

Essentially the concept is doing the opposite. This falls in line with the concept of DBT = dialectical behavioral therapy. The word dialectical is a word that we never hear often it means exactly that – to do what is opposite.

Key Take-Away

In summary, Helen Keller said it clearly – that we think we need to grow in comfort and that’s not where we grow. We can only grow through pain and being uncomfortable. She was one of the true first women leaders and someone who did incredible things with a significant disability. If someone can take on difficult challenges and be so respected, it should remind us that our challenges are something that’s not uncommon.  We can work with this technique of positive talk – it will lead us to be like that spring, or that rubber band – and we’ll learn not to give in to the feeling but rather use that feeling as key to tell us we need to do something about it.

Informational purposes only.  This is not medical advice.  All therapeutic principles must be performed under professional care and guidance.

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Thomas Campi MD, Editor & Founder
Board Certified Psychiatrist
Mental Health & Wellness Now