Happy New Year everyone!

This month’s goal is related to something that we all do: talk to ourselves. I don’t care if you don’t like to admit it, we all talk to ourselves. And sometimes we don’t say the nicest things. Often, we say things to ourselves that we’d never say about other people. So why is it ok for me to tear myself down when I’d never do that to someone I love?

How you talk to (and about) yourself is a great barometer for how much self-love you’re in need of. I’m not someone who constantly insults myself and has trouble saying anything positive, but I know that the things I say when no one else is around could use some tuning. And I’ll bet that once I really start paying attention to what I’m telling myself that I’ll realize I say worse things than I thought.

To start 2019 off right, I’m going to make a habit of saying kind things about myself. I chose three I statements that are relevant to things I want to focus on for the year, and I wrote them on post-its. Then, I put those post-its in places where I’ll see them every day. I placed them in spaces where I get ready in the morning so I can start the day by giving myself some positive talk.

I’m not really one who responds to mantras and repeating phrases or the idea that you can “speak something into reality.” It’s just something I’ve never found effective for myself. Instead, my goal for these phrases is for them to replace any negativity I have floating around in my head when I see them. Each one is a reminder of a truth moreso than something I hope will be true.

The three phrases I chose are:

I am beautiful.

I can be who I want to.

I choose faith over fear.

It was important to me to choose I statements because this is self-talk. No you’s here, no it’s, nothing that isn’t about me said by me. I need these phrases to come from myself, or else they won’t carry the same weight. You know what I mean–when a loved one tells you you’re smart, you love that they think so, but it doesn’t always mean you believe it. I chose to say “I am beautiful” because (most of the time) I believe it. I’d like to make that as close to all the time as I can.

Over the course of the month, I hope to take note of some not-so-nice things I say to myself and see if there are any patterns. Maybe then I can adjust the words I focus on to directly tackle any places where my self-love is faltering. Check back here on the first Wednesday of February to see how my self-talk went.

Is there anything you say to yourself to show a little self-love? What would you write on your post-it(s) if you wanted to practice positive self-talk?