Positive Small Talk
A couple years ago, I embarked on a healing journey to process difficult times I went through as a child. A large part of my healing process was to become more aware of unhelpful patterns that were developed as a bi-product of what I went through.
One large pattern that became evident were the unkind words I would tell myself when the room was quiet. “You are not successful enough.” “You are not good enough.” “You are too sensitive.” “You are unloveable,” were just some of the things I used to say.
I could never image saying these things to any one, yet here I was saying them to myself. The words heard as a child had become my inner dialog and followed me into adulthood.
I made a decision to work on this unhealthy routine for five minutes each day, pointing out positive things instead of negatives. A quiet five minutes in the shower each morning, seemed like a good place to start.
“I love how you never give up.” I started. “I love how you have courage, even when things are hard and you do them anyways.” “I love how you face your fears head on.” Those five minutes were torturous at first. They felt silly, nuts even, but as time went on these positive words became routine. Yoga, morning walks and even hard moments became calmer, easier. Slowly, over time, I was learning to become my biggest cheerleader.
“You got this,” I would say.
Through positive small talk, I became a better version of myself, one I loved. My anxiety reduced drastically. I could stay calm in tough moments. All the stuff out there, what the world was saying, no longer mattered, because in here, in my soul, I was okay.
There are still times when I revert back to my old voice, but now I am acutely aware of it. Stepping right back into a quiet moment, I find something new to love about myself. I write these thoughts down on sticky notes and put them on my refrigerator or the mirror in the bathroom. A daily reminder; YOU ARE LOVED HERE.
This new series, called “Positive Small Talk,” is an ode to this amazingly small, yet hugely impactful task that propelled my healing journey. A reminder that what we think drives what we do and how we love. Each piece has positive words with serene and uplifting images as a reminder for each of us, that there is always time to change our internal voice and to learn to LOVE YOURSELF.
The new POSITIVE SMALL TALK SERIES is viewable here.
