LifeStarts WLS
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO
On the Journey
WHAT DO YOU SAY TO
YOURSELF?
Shhh…listen. What do you hear? It is the
internal voice of your self-talk. What does
it say to you? Have you ever paid attention
to the messages and things you say to
yourself? Do you hear messages such as
“You can’t do that" or “You’re so fat", or do
you hear messages that are kind, nurturing,
and loving? Ask yourself if you said the
things to your family, friends, or loved
children, how would they feel? Same thing
applies to you!
For many of us, things we say to ourselves
would never be said to anyone else. Yet,
we treat ourselves terribly by saying
berating and demeaning things to
ourselves. Why? What can we do about
it? The first step is to be aware of the
problem. You might not realize how often
you say negative things to yourself, and
how much it affects your experiences. Pay
attention to the messages you say to
yourself.
If your best friend said something ugly to
you, how would you feel? If a child that
you love was disrespectful to you, would
you tolerate it? Give yourself the exact
same consideration from the messages you
give to yourself. If you wouldn’t condone it
from another person in your life, why
accept it from yourself.
The next step is to replace the habit of
negative self-talk with something better.
Here are some options:
1. Change your self-limiting responses to
questions. Self-limiting statements such as
“I can’t handle this" or “This is impossible"
are damaging. They increase your stress to
a situation and they stop you from
obtaining solutions. The next time you
hear yourself thinking something that limits
your possibilities and options, turn it into a
question. “How can I handle this
situation?" or “How is this possible?" sound
more positive and hopeful, and open you
up to new possibilities.
2 Vol. IV Issue 3
DISCLAIMER
: Information provided by this handout is for informational www.ObesityHelp.com/ohsupportgroupspurposes and is not medical advice. Only you and your doctor can
ObesityHelp Support Group Leader Programdetermine what regimen meets your specific needs
. [email protected](866) WLS-INFO ext. 382 or (866) 957-4636 ext. 382
2. Replace strong wording in statements
such as “I hate waiting in lines at the store.
They make me so mad" with “don’t like"
and “annoyed". In your self-talk, turning
powerful negative words to more neutral
ones can help you stay more balanced than
go to extremes in your thoughts and
emotions.
3. Rather than focus on what is wrong with
a situation, change your focus on what is
right with the situation. See the positive,
options and possibilities that are open to
you. See yourself as a “victor" rather than
a victim.
4. When you hear yourself say something
negative to yourself, stop your thought
mid-way by saying “Stop". Speaking this
out loud will be more effective in tracking
how many times negative self-talk is
occurring.
Patterns of negative or positive self-talk
often start early in our lives. Usually, a
negative self-talk habit impacts our thinking
for years, and can affect us in many ways.
Low self-esteem is one of the results of
negative self-talk.
Just as the healthy habits you’ve created to
live a healthy lifestyle, changing your selftalk
is important. As you’ve lost weight,
make nutritious food choices, and become
active with your favorite exercise regimen,
healthy and positive self-talk enhances your
life, boost your self-esteem, and helps you
to experience more balance emotionally.
Just as a healthy relationship doesn’t
involve putting the other person down,
sometimes the person eroding our sense of
self-worth and limiting our potential is us!
Negative self-talk tends to be a self-fulfilling
prophecy. By stopping negative thoughts
and creating habitually positive internal
dialogue, you can reduce your stress and
empower yourself. Turn your self-sabotage
into self-mastery. You deserve nothing
less! Give yourself acknowledgement and
celebrate your healthy lifestyle.
Congratulations to you!
Proud Obesity Help Bariatric Life Coach
Proud Obesity Help Support Group Leader
Fighting Daily the Disease We Call Obesity !
www.obesityhelp.com/group/LifeStartsWLS08
www.vawlsevents.com
Helping Others Find Their Way to a Life They Deserve!
