I know, I know. The voice of negativity is a tough one to shake. It’s the one that tells you that you’re not good enough, that you’re not smart enough, and that no one likes you—and sometimes it can seem like it’s running your life. But take heart: there are things we can do to silence our inner voice of negativity and get on with living our best lives! Here’s how:
Learn to control your mind.
You can control your mind. The first step to achieving a positive mindset is learning how to control your thoughts, which are a product of the mind. Your thoughts determine your feelings and actions. If you think negative things about yourself or others, you will feel bad and behave poorly towards them as well. If instead, you focus on the good in yourself and others, you’ll feel better about yourself and be able to treat others with kindness as well!
In order for this approach to work though, it’s important that we learn how our own minds work. The mind is an incredibly powerful tool–we all have one! But like any tool (or body part), if we don’t know how it works or how best to use it then there’s no way we can benefit from what it has to offer us.
Practice positive visualization.
Visualize yourself being successful and happy.
Imagine yourself doing the things you want to do, but that you don’t feel like you can do right now. This may be a fun hobby or skill, an outdoor adventure or travel destination, or simply having time for yourself—whatever you’re working towards, visualize yourself achieving it as if it’s already happened. Visualize the feeling of success as if you’ve already achieved your goal.
Practice positive visualization when things are going well too! You can also use this powerful tool in times of stress and anxiety by creating a mentally safe space where everything is okay (and better than okay). Visualize what would make your world feel safe and happy again: maybe this means imagining yourself curled up on your favorite couch with a good book; maybe it means seeing a calming ocean scene; maybe it means imagining that someone loves and supports every part of who they are. Whatever works best for you!
Use the power of your words more often.
In the same way that your brain can’t help but register and remember negative words, it also has a hard time ignoring positive ones. When you use empowering affirmations on a regular basis, you’re programming yourself to find the good in every situation.
One of the easiest ways to use positive words is by repeating them over and over again—especially when you feel stuck or frustrated. If you’re having a bad day, try repeating “I am enough” or “I am worthy” until they become second nature. You can also write down all of your favorite affirmations on index cards so they’re always at arm’s reach when times get tough!
Another great way to harness their power is by incorporating these phrases into your daily routine. Make sure to say something positive before meeting up with friends (e.g., “Today is going to be an awesome day”). And when it comes time for bedtime reading each night (or whenever works best), go through some of my favorite quotes before hitting snooze mode!
Change your attitude about other people’s negative thoughts about you.
When someone says something negative about you, don’t take it personally. It’s not about you, but them.
This may sound like an obvious thing to say, but when someone criticizes or insults you, it can be easy to get defensive and even angry with them. However if you let yourself get sucked into this reaction, the situation will only escalate into a fight or argument. Instead of reacting defensively and letting your inner voice take over by saying something hurtful in return (which rarely ends well), try taking a step back from the situation and viewing it objectively instead. By viewing what they’re saying as being about them rather than yourself—you’ll find that things become much easier to deal with!
Learn to listen to your gut instincts.
You know the feeling of anxiety, doubt, or even despair that creeps up on you? The one that makes it nearly impossible to think clearly and feel positive about yourself or your life?
This is a common symptom of our inner voice of negativity. When we’re faced with an internal struggle, it’s important to stop and listen carefully to what our body is trying to say. Our gut instincts can be powerful tools for helping us move forward in life with more confidence and less fear!
Take time for silence and reflection.
To silence your inner voice of negativity, it’s important to take time for silence and reflection. This can be as simple as taking a walk in nature or going for a run on the treadmill. But if you really want to get away from that internal voice, then try doing some meditation or prayer. Meditation allows you to clear your mind and be mindful of your thoughts so you can better control them. Prayer is also good for calming down an overactive mind because most religions teach us to have faith in something greater than ourselves—and when we believe in something bigger than us, we tend not to worry about petty things like whether or not we are good enough at our jobs or how attractive other people think we are.
Don’t take things so seriously.
The first thing you can do is not take things so personally. When someone says something negative about you, sometimes people will attach a lot more meaning to it than they should. Remember that it’s not always true, and often times people say things they don’t mean or that they regret later on down the road. Don’t let other people’s opinions define who you are as a person. You cannot control how others perceive us, but what we can control is our own self-esteem and self-worth!
Don’t let other people’s negativity drag you down either—there’ll always be someone who doesn’t like whatever it is that makes them happy, so why waste time worrying about those types of situations? Instead, focus on doing what makes YOU happy!
You don’t have to listen to the inner voice of negativity all the time
In order to silence the inner voice of negativity, you need to separate it from yourself.
You can do this by deciding that the voice isn’t a reflection of who you are. It’s ok if it wants to be negative and pessimistic; that’s just who it is. This doesn’t mean that its opinions are valid, though. The voice is wrong about everything because it was created by someone who knew nothing about life or how things work in general, so don’t let it get into your head!
The first step in silencing this inner voice is trying not to listen to its ridiculous suggestions at all times (even if they sound like common sense). The next step is recognizing when this inner voice pops up and realizing that most of its “suggestions” aren’t worth listening to anyway! The last step involves ignoring these silly thoughts whenever possible as well as replacing them with more positive ones instead.
Conclusion
The key to silencing your inner voice of negativity is to keep in mind that it doesn’t have to be the dominant voice in your head all the time. Learning how to listen when you need comfort and support, but also learning how not to listen when you want some space from negative thoughts can help reduce their impact on your overall well-being. Remember too though, that it’s okay if things don’t go exactly how you planned them! It’s always better than having no plan at all!