Published on 1/1/2024 at 10:00 AM
From an early age, we’re taught the golden rule: “Treat others as you would like to be treated.” But the irony is, many of us don’t even treat ourselves the way we want to be treated. A 2023 poll found that the average person has about 11 negative thoughts concerning their bodies and self-worth per day, suggesting that we all need a little lesson in the power of positive self-talk.
“Self-talk comes in different forms. Some are positive, negative, healthy, unhealthy, constructive, or critical,” says Willow McGinty, LMHC, a therapist with Thriveworks in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. “Having positive, or what I refer to in therapy sessions as ‘healthy self-talk,’ means that the tone in which you speak to and about yourself is affirmative, supportive, kind, and reasonable.”
Okay, so maybe pep-talking yourself sounds cheesy, but trust us — and the experts — this practice has legitimate health and wellness benefits.
The Mental and Physical Health Benefits of Positive Thinking
Maintaining positivity in your mind helps both in the moment and in the long run, says McGinty. “Positive self-talk makes simple things more enjoyable and makes harder tasks more manageable,” she says.
Take Mondays, for example: many people experience the Sunday Scaries and dread the start of the work week. “If the self-talk sounds like, ‘Tomorrow is going to suck and I hate Mondays,’ well, it will probably rise to meet that expectation,” says McGinty. “That is called confirmation bias. We tend to describe our experiences in ways that confirm our beliefs rather than challenge them, making our world easier to understand.”
Positive self-talk allows us to change our perspective on what’s ahead of us. “If the self-talk sounds like this: ‘I have an opportunity to relax tonight, and tomorrow is a fresh start for my work week and new opportunities to shine,’ we are more likely to try to rise to meet that expectation and confirm that belief,” says McGinty. “There is a real ‘fake it ’til you make it’ energy happening whenever we’re trying to be more positive, and that’s okay.”
Remixing your inner monologue can make a huge difference moment-by-moment, and give you a healthier mindset in the long run. Positive self-thought may result in less worry. Chronic worry and stress can lead to health problems (including high blood pressure, heart disease, and more), so this mental shift may give you a better chance at many days ahead.
In addition, those who maintain a positive outlook also tend to be more resilient, confident, and satisfied with their lives.
Research shows that this self-assuredness translates into physical feats as well.