I am Positive I can use Positive Self-Talk

 Recently we talked about positive distanced self-talk. This is about using your own name to encourage yourself. This helps remove you from the situation to look at it from an outside perspective. This creates an illusion to the brain that a trusted friend is encouraging you. Our brains tend to listen to trusted friends more than ourselves.

This week I want to talk about positive self-talk v negative self-talk and how they relate to our brains.

Recent studies utilizing fMRI show us that negative self-talk can activate our bodies stress response. Negative self-talk can hinder motivation and decrease the activation of the brain's reward system.

In contrast, the fMRI showed that positive self-talk increased motivation, activated the reward system, boosted confidence, and increased activity in the Prefrontal Cortex. 

If you've ever been in one of my introduction to mindfulness lessons than  you know how important the Prefrontal Cortex is to us. It is the last part of the brain to finish developing and it is the center for our wise choices. It is our thinking it through brain. It's what we use mindfulness to strengthen.

Positive self-talk is a great way to help grow our wise brain. On the flipside of that, negative self-talk hinders motivation and reduces our ability to make wise choices.

Positive self-talk can also be seen as a kind of self fulfilling prophecy. If I am positive with myself I will believe in myself and my abilities and I am more likely to make wise choices and do well.

Negative self-talk is also it's own kind of self fulfilling prophecy. The more negative we are with ourselves the less likely we are to believe in ourselves. The less we believe we can do it, the less likely we are to do it.

This is something that I talk about with students at school and my children at home. 

A few years ago my youngest and I found a book at the library called, The Power of Yeti, by Rebecca Van Slyke. It was about not being able to do things...yet(i). The yeti learns that he might not be able to do something right now but if he tells himself he can't do it yeti he will learn that he can do it someday if he tries. Now at home we say "I can't do it yeti, but I'll try."

The yeti had to learn positive self-talk. So do we.

A lot of our students (and maybe we do too) need to learn positive self-talk. Perhaps you need to start a new morning routine of positive affirmation. 

Below is a link to 101 positive affirmation for students.

101 Positive Affirmations

If students are reluctant to start, consider writing them on sticky notes or note cards and handing one to each student in the morning. Then ask them to read it aloud. This is an easy way to start a positive self-talk habit. Maybe you need it too. As you write them out for the students read them aloud for yourself.

I can start each morning with a positive affirmation.

I will start each morning with a positive affirmation.

I am starting each morning with a positive affirmation.

A great way to do affirmations is with I Can, I Will, I Am. It helps our brains organize things into ability, plan, and action.

Give it a try!