Recognising and changing negative self-talk

We function in the world according to how we sense and filter the meaning of things —this is our programming. The program software is our minds and the hardware is our brain and its neurological/chemical/energetic operations. Most of us are largely unaware that we can actually change our programming by switching one program for another, writing or rewriting new programs to change our reality, and that of others. To change our programming we need to be aware of the structure of our personal programming. We also require tools, skills, courage and determination. No one has to remain shaped by their childhood conditioning, their culture, nor their gene-driven behaviour. Our brains are neuroplastic and will adapt to a determined force of mind.
Each of us has different personal goals and individual beliefs and there is no one tool that transforms all to the same degree. A certain tool may assist us now, but later another may work better. Obtaining one level of character development opens the way for further growth that may require another type of tool. There is a sequence for each individual. Recognising self-talk is one of the basic tools you can use on your spiritual journey.
At times we may feel restricted in our lives and feel we have fewer and fewer choices—less freedom. We end up doing things we would rather not do if we had a better choice. We find that we cannot achieve things that bring us love, joy and a contented and compelling life. We may then fall into the trap of limiting and destructive self-talk such as: “What have I done to deserve this?”; “I’m such a dill”; “This is too hard to take, let’s have some chocolate (alcohol, drugs)”.
No one else can decide your pathway to meaningfulness. You can however, begin the journey by taking steps to understand who you really are. Little by little, you can abandon the conditioned responses imposed on you from birth that pressure you to conform to others’ expectations, interpretations and comparisons. With each step you increase the possibility to open to higher purposes in your life. You can begin to fulfil the goals associated with higher purpose and slowly redevelop the character traits that reflect this. Character involves the way we think—the meanings we put on situations, what we focus our senses on, and how we exchange these with our inner selves through self-talk, self-listening and self-imaging.
When we take the time to focus upon our inner self-talk, we open the possibility to enter a world full of possibilities and rediscovered meanings. We clearly see things previously unrecognised.
For some, the spiritual journey of character development begins with recognising limiting or irrational inner-speech. It may be fleeting or unrecognisable as inner-speech—it may be how you analyse, how you rationalise, how you visualise. Every experience is filtered through earlier experiences for quality. This is quality in success, security, comfort, intimacy, trust, connection, etc—whether achieved to a desired level or not. Everyone links inner-speech, questions, statements and commands to these. When experiences are too uncomfortable to deal with, the emotional content may become submerged and not be heard as a voice. Instead it may be ‘heard’ as an impulse to look at life a certain way, or do things in a certain way, or think in a certain way that relates to this quality. Even though not heard, it can still be a force that drives irrational and over-generalised beliefs about yourself, the world, others, God and your future potential.
My workshops and raja yoga classes offer methods for transforming negative self-talk to help you on your spiritual journey.