Transform Your Self-Talk: ADHD Coaching Techniques for Positive Change
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One of the hardest parts about living with ADHD is dealing with the ramifications of when things go awry. We quite often find ourselves not where we want to be. This is frustrating and can lead to negative self-talk. This can quickly devolve into a harsh relationship with oneself. When we are constantly berating ourselves, we begin to internalize the messages we are receiving. How we break out of this vicious cycle is not easy and seems overly simplistic, but it can be done.
Catch Your Thoughts
The first step in fighting negative self-talk is to catch when we are engaging in it. This sounds easier than it is. We need to train ourselves to not go on auto-pilot with our thoughts. We ought to pay more attention to what we are saying to ourselves. By not letting thoughts fly around unchallenged, we doom ourselves to feeling bad about ourselves.
Challenge Your Thoughts
Once you get better at catching your thoughts, you can replace them with more positive thoughts. Instead of saying, “I’m such an idiot,” when you mess up, you can provide yourself with a better message. One might try refuting the instantaneous negative thought with something like, “Whoops, that was silly of me. I know I can do better. Let’s try again.” I know that sounds cheesy, but find what feels authentic to you and begin practicing lifting up yourself.
Practice, Practice, Practice
This change is not easy and does not happen overnight. It will be initially difficult to refute the negative thoughts that enter your mind. However, if you continue to do so, it will get easier and more effective. So, do not wait. Start working on your self-talk today. Do not wait long because, the longer you go on berating yourself, the harder it will be to reverse the effects. I challenge you to say something nice about yourself today. They say you need to flood yourself with positive affirmations to cancel out the effects of a few negative messages. It might be easier to start with just a few affirmations. Let it grow over time. Look for progress, not perfection. Pretty soon, you will be your own best cheerleader. If that is not exciting enough for you, know that I am rooting for you.