By Damien Rider
This blog is about challenging negative self-talk and learning more about the emotional component of pain.
Negative Self-Talk & Pain
Usually, negative self-talk begins when you experience a pain point. A pain point can come in the form of physical pain, such as an injury, or it can come from emotional stress or trauma.
When these various pain points occur, or pain from physical activity, the feelings of anger, disappointment, and frustration can cause negative self-criticism. It can be followed by a snowball effect of cognitive distortion that prompts people to jump to the worst possible conclusion after a minor setback. When physical pain is upsetting and frustrating, but not necessarily catastrophic, there can be a feeling like you are in the midst of a crisis.
When hurt begins to manifest as negative self-talk, your inner critic begins to personalize your frustration and tells you that your abilities are limited, that you don’t matter, and that you can’t reach your full potential.
This can carry well beyond immediate injury or a single event- – our thoughts begin to dictate our behaviors, and our behaviors dictate our life.
How To Deal With Negative Self-Talk
One of the reasons that negative self-talk is so damaging is that it goes unchallenged.
When you speak to yourself in a negative, condescending way so often, it becomes a subconscious belief and begins to control your behaviors and communication. They take on the “monkey mind” behaviors that distract and confuse you from the present and steal joy away from your life.
By thinking of these negative beliefs and fears, our brain begins to be confirmation bias and begins to search for any proof it can find to confirm it’s beliefs. This makes it more likely for our fears and worries to come true. It also means we’re more likely to miss any evidence that conflicts with our negative beliefs.
A lot of people might say they are going for a run outside to clear their head. When they begin to run, the negative monkey mind is present, but soon into the run, that negative thinking begins to fade away. Their eyes are moving around, experiencing the benefits of Open-Eyed Meditation and EMDR therapy, that we discussed in another blog, and they begin to produce dopamine and endorphins, which creates a “runner’s high.”
If the runner experiences physical pain from muscle fatigue or doesn’t meet their running goal that day, the negative talk may come back again in the form of anger or frustration. This is when it becomes important to challenge that negative self- talk with a new perspective. For example, the runner could reconnect with their breath and think about how proud they are that they decided to start running again after an injury or that they’re committed to being active when they could just be living a sedentary lifestyle. They can think about their running form for more effective efficiency and feeling lighter on their feet.
By using physical activity as a tool to end inner conflict, along with your breathwork and self-generated positive affirmations, you create a healthy way of thinking and allow an emotional release for pain and frustration. These tools empower you to end negative self-talk and change your inner narrative.
