“You yourself, as much as anybody in the entire universe, deserve your love and affection.” ~ Buddha
Over the past month, we have talked on and on about self-love and how it is healing to our mental, emotional and spiritual health. But, one of the most imperative steps to beginning that self-love journey is healing our intenal dialogue aka our ‘inner critic’!
You know who that ‘inner critic’ is who I am talking about, dont you? You know how he/she sounds like. That voice in your head, that jumps in quickly to bring you down and make you get into an overwhelming and anxious state. It literally adds fuel to the fire of outside negative triggers. It not only exasperates your mind, but also your basic functionality. A simpler way of describing this inner critic is negative thinking.
Therefore: Inner Critic = Negative thinking
Which in turn is the strongest catalyst for anxiety, overwhelm, panic, anger and so forth.
There was a time in my life I joked that I thrive on my overwhelm(!) I quickly learned that If I’m not managing my self-talk also known as calming the inner critic, I get very overwhelmed very easily, and in my head, everything feels big and world-ending.
Self loving Self-talk is so important when it comes to managing overwhelm and anxiety.
My anxiety is not me. I am not my negative thoughts. I am a loving soul full of light.
I find telling myself these things helps. When it starts to feel like my mind is against me, at least my inner voice is going to be kind, gentle, and loving.
Today, I want to share some self-loving self-talk phrases that will help you manage those feelings:
Self loving Self-talk to soothe Overwhelm and Anxiety
1. I’ll take care of the small stuff first.
Honestly, this is my secret weapon. I love to DO a LOT of things all at once. I wish I had a magic wand like Harry Potter that would make all the things I want to get done, DONE in a flash! But alas, in the real world our minds often work faster than our bodies. That is why I like to break the big stuff that I need to get done into smaller tasks so that the big stuff does not overwhelm me so much. This tends to lessen my levels of stress extensively. And while breaking my big tasks down to smaller ones, I keep reminding myself “I am taking care of the small stuff first. This is easy peasy”
2. I can’t control everything and that is ok.
Repeat after me, “I can’t control everything.” It’s a simple but powerful reminder that it’s okay to let go of things beyond your control. I repeat this to myself especially when I feel like the situation is out of my control and frustration of the inability to DO something about it is kinda beginning to take over. Worrying about things does not change the outcome, but gently focusing on what you can do in this moment is what counts. That inner negative chatter that comes up is almost instantly put to rest when you focus on the solution, rather than the problem.
3. I HAVE time to take a break and slow down.
We are not machines. I used to think that sleep was such a waste of time, only to enter my 40s and realize there is NO life or energy to live that life if is there is not enough sleep. You can not maintain hyperspeed and not break down, like I did so many times in the past. Even now, because of old conditioning my brain will tell me that I can’t take a break, but then I love defying my inner critic and I do – even if it’s for 15 minutes. I feel so rejuvenated after and I’m more productive. So don’t forget to slow down just a bit and let your senses relax. Tell that hyperactive inner critic who always wants you to do more, to take a chill pill. It feels counter-productive but it helps tremendously!
4. I don’t have all the answers and that is ok.
Have you ever felt awkward in a social setting where a topic you know nothing about was being discussed? Well, I know I have been in many such settings. In such situations the ego brain takes over and wants to make you feel like you have to have all the answers. Feeling like you need to have all the answers can be incredibly overwhelming and demanding for anyone. But guess what? You don’t have to know everything about everything. No human possibly can! You can always authentically say you don’t know about something. You’ll figure it out as you go, when you are kind to yourself and give yourself space to learn. When you pretend to know, you leave no space for learning or growing. And also, when in doubt simply google it 
5. I am doing the best that I can.
Even when you are fully immenrsed in a state of overwhelm and anxiousness, you still giving your best. You need to be proud of the effort you put in. Your best might feel like it isnt enough on some days but you’re trying – and that’s enough. Be kind to yourself in all situations. Give yourself the grace to make a mistake once in a while atleast. Appreciate that you ARE doing the best that you possibly can 
So, there you go – a handful of self-loving self-talk phrases to help you navigate those overwhelming moments with a little more calm and grace. You’ve got this!🩷
This is the 4th article in The Self Love series of articles on all things Self-Love that came out every few days right through February aka Self-Love month here on Positive Provocations. This article marks the end of Self-love month, but as you and I both know, self-love is life long journey and cant just be part of one month. Stay subscribed below for more Series like these
Other parts in this Self Love Series:
- Self-love is not Selfish{Self-love Series #3}
- How Healing Happens through Self Love{Self-love Series #2}
- How Self-Care IS Self-Love {Self-love Series #1}
🩷If you’d like 1-on-1 counseling sessions and spiritual guidance with me, come on over here.
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1st Photo by Anastasiya Lobanovskaya on Pexels.com
