Take Your Self Talk to Court

Many of us struggle with mind chatter or negative self-talk. In fact, sometimes we say things to ourselves that we would never dream of saying to a friend. The problem with this sort of behavior is that it increases our anxiety and decreases our productivity and resilience.?One of my favorite techniques for dealing with negative self-talk is called “Take it to Court.”?Let’s say that you have been telling yourself that you aren’t sure you have what it takes to succeed in a new job.?

Pull out a piece of paper and draw a line down the middle, dividing the paper into two columns.?At the top of one column write “Evidence that Supports” and at the top of the second column write “Evidence that Disputes.”?Then start making your list of fact-based evidence.?In almost every case, when presented with the facts you have written down, a judge would tell you that there just isn’t enough evidence to support the statement that you don’t have what it takes to succeed. The judge will throw the claim out of court so you will have to throw it out of you mind and move on.?