How a mental diet can reorganize your thinking and improve your life

Reframing negative or limiting self-talk

I want to introduce you to an idea that can improve your life. I know I’m making a big claim, which may seem unrealistic at first. All I ask is that you read the article and practice what I describe for at least seven days. That is your commitment to test if this idea will work. Don’t just read these words and go about your daily life without taking action. After all, I am asking for a seven-day commitment, which has the potential to improve your life. Only you will know if this exercise will work for you. Could you make that commitment and take a leap of faith? If so, keep reading.

I want to ask you: do you often engage in internal conversations with yourself about other people or circumstances throughout the day? For example, if you had an argument with your partner, roommate, colleague, boss, or anyone else, do you replay that conversation in your mind? Do you have internal conversations about your self-esteem, career, health, finances, or anything else? This is what I mean by internal dialogue; the internal conversations we have with ourselves about negative experiences. These conversations create our reality as we know it. Most people want to live a purposeful life. Perhaps you want to attract a better relationship or improve your career, health or finances? Perhaps you have experienced repeated failures and setbacks?

In my experience, our internal conversations create the conditions of our lives. If you believe in the Law of Attraction, you must be intentional about what you think. Therefore, I invite you to do a mental diet for seven days and notice the changes that occur in that time. Let me define what I mean by a mental diet, because this is important. A mental diet means reframing negative self-talk or limiting it. It’s about avoiding negative news and social media. It means avoiding anything that negatively influences your mental well-being. For example, if you want to be in a loving relationship and you listen to sad love songs; For! This can affect your subconscious mind and create a reality you don’t want.

What I am proposing here is not a new concept, in fact, it was taught by New Thought authors such as Neville Goddard, Emmet Fox, and Dr. Joseph Murphy. The premise here is that the universe eavesdrops on your conversations with yourself and creates your reality around it. Negative self-talk about others is addictive, and we can get stuck in this cycle because it feels good. So if you had an argument with your partner, you can replay the conversation and tell them what you think (pardon the pun). You repeat the conversation day after day, only to find that your relationship doesn’t improve; It gets worse. This is because we are creating these conditions; without realizing it, our internal conversations are building our reality around it. American New Thought author Neville Goddard wrote: “Everything is a manifestation of the mental conversations that take place in us without our being aware of them. But as civilized beings, we must become aware of them and act with purpose.” . Are you with me so far? Are you willing to accept that what you think has the potential to create your reality?

Create your reality as you like it to be

Similarly, through self-talk, we can find ourselves in a gloomy mood for no reason. Is this something you have experienced? I know I have. I realized that my internal chatter was creating these bad moods. It was like I was physically interacting with this person but in my mind, which contributed to my bad mood. When I stopped these internal conversations, my circumstances changed dramatically. What I’m proposing is that for the next seven days you keep a journal or download a habit tracker app on your phone and track your negative self-talk.

1. If a negative thought arises, simply tell your mind: STOP!

2. Thank your mind (say “thank you mind, I’m fine” and bring your attention back to the present moment).

3. Notice your thoughts by saying, “I am noticing that I am experiencing a thought that…

4. Label your thoughts (eg, useless, judgement, fear, worry). You can also do this with emotions (for example, there is guilt here).

Keep an eye on this exercise because negative thoughts that you have repeated for weeks, months, or even years will not subside on their own. It requires shifting your attention and breaking the cycle of negative thinking. This process is called Cognitive Defusion, which is a CBT practice to disengage the mind from difficult thoughts. Once you’ve followed the four steps, it’s important to create empowering thoughts to fill your space. So if you repeat an argument with your partner, follow the steps above and imagine or revise the interaction having a nice conversation with them. Feel the way to the interaction and repeat it, so that it acquires the flavor of being real. The real benefit of the exercise is that you are preparing your subconscious mind to attract a reality as you intend it to be.

I invite you to do this exercise for at least seven days and see if it becomes a habit for life. If you’re interested in learning more about this idea, I encourage you to search online for ‘inner-talk’ by Neville Goddard or Emmet Fox. Similarly, I urge you to read a popular book by motivational psychologist Dr. Shad Helmstetter called What to say when you talk to yourself. I realize that what I am proposing here may seem impossible, but with small steps, you can change your inner dialogue and influence your life for the better. Start with seven days and watch your thoughts, then assess the situation at the end of that period. After all, what we think about, we produce, and a mental diet is an effective way to reorganize your thinking and improve your life.