Learn how negative self-talk can be harmful to your mental health

Negative self-talk, or the repetitive critical thoughts you have about yourself, can badly impact your mental health. It can lead to feelings of anxiety, depression, and decreased self-esteem. Negative self-talk can increase your anxiety by causing you to focus on likely bad outcomes. This negative thinking can be harmful to your relationships. It can push you to avoid others for fear of being judged. It can also make you focus on your flaws when spending time with friends instead of enjoying the moment. Negative self-talk can also make you less happy. If you criticize yourself over small things, you will find it hard to be content. Being constantly unsatisfied can also make you feel hopeless and unmotivated. In extreme cases, continued negative self-talk can lead you down a path of depression. Furthermore, your sense of self-worth will plunge if you keep thinking the worst of yourself. You may come to feel insecure, inadequate, and a failure. This feeling can have a ripple effect on other areas of your life. It will likely affect your relationships, work, and even your hobbies. Negative self-talk can be a vicious cycle. Harmful thoughts will lead to negative feelings. And new negative emotions will fuel your inner critic even further. While it is difficult, there are things you can do to free yourself. You can learn to talk to yourself as if to a friend. You can also do positive affirmations or practice meditation to become more aware of your thoughts. Recognizing the harmful effects of negative self-talk is vital to breaking free from it. You can harm yourself by constantly criticizing yourself. But ultimately, you can take steps to manage your inner critic and improve your well-being.