Headspace_logo_svg
Try for freeTry for free
PodcastEmbrace Positive Self-Talk, with Alex Elle

Embrace Positive Self-Talk, with Alex Elle

Restorative Writing Teacher Alex Elle is guest-hosting Radio Headspace all week! Today is all about positive self-talk, and how it can help us bring more peace and self-love into our lives.

Try 14 days free

Better mental health starts with Headspace. Unrivaled expertise to make life feel a little easier, using guided meditations, mindfulness tips, focus tools, sleep support, and dedicated programs.

Try 14 days free
Better mental health starts with Headspace

(air fizzing) (air clicking) (bells chiming) Headspace Studios. (relaxing music) (waves sloshing) Hi, everyone, it's Alex Elle here, your guest host for the week. Welcome to "Radio Headspace" and to Thursday. We're continuing our week on healing, and a big part of our healing journey is how we talk to ourselves. Sometimes we may not even recognize when we're tearing ourselves down, but with practice we can notice and address negative inner voices and replace them with kindness and compassion. So today let's explore what I like to call positive self-talk and how it can help us bring more peace and self-love into our lives. It's important to have positive self-talk in our lives because we can be really hard on ourselves. And so a big part of my work is getting people to find little micro moments of kindness that they can extend to their selves, especially in moments of frustration or doubt or maybe even chaos. It's a redirection to loving kindness versus continuing to be hard and mean and hurtful to ourselves. So instead of saying, "I can never do anything right," perhaps we say, "I'm trying and learning along the way." Instead of saying, "Nobody likes me," let's shift that to, "I have people in my life who love me "and who care about me, even if that person doesn't." I'm gonna give a personal example here. As a mother, I'm often teaching my 15-year-old how to shift her language. She's a talented, talented artist, but she's also a little bit of a perfectionist, so if her art doesn't come out exactly how she wants it to, she starts saying things like, "I suck. "I can't do anything right. "I'm a terrible artist." None of those things are true. So what we work on is, "I'm frustrated right now, "but I'm still good at my craft. "I think I need to take a break "because I'm feeling overwhelmed. "I love being an artist, but right now I'm at capacity." This is tough to put into practice. She's not gonna always say these out loud. It's about inner dialogue. "I don't suck at what I do. "I may have had a challenging day with my craft." It's the reframing. It's also asking, whose voice is that? Is that my negative self-talk, or is that something I learned growing up? Is that my mother's voice? Is that an ex's voice? Is that your truth or is that somebody else's doubt? And I think many of us have to get comfortable looking at our negative self-talk and challenging it. And if it's ours, okay, we need to shift how we're talking to ourselves. But if it's not ours, we need to put down the baggage that does not belong to us. It takes practice, it takes patience, and it is possible. I think a lot of us equate motivation with negative self-talk. A lot of us don't operate well when we're being yelled at, screamed at by outsiders, so why would...

Details

TypePodcast
Duration6 min

About your teachers

  • A former Buddhist monk, Andy has guided people in meditation and mindfulness for 20 years. In his mission to make these practices accessible to all, he co-created the Headspace app in 2010.

    More about Andy
  • Eve is a mindfulness teacher, overseeing Headspace’s meditation curriculum. She is passionate about sharing meditation to help others feel less stressed and experience more compassion in their lives.

    More about Eve
  • As a meditation teacher, Dora encourages others to live, breathe, and be with the fullness of their experiences. She loves meditation’s power to create community and bring clarity to people’s minds.

    More about Dora
  • Kessonga has been an acupuncturists, therapist, and meditation teacher, working to bring mindfulness to the diverse populations of the world.

    More about Kessonga
  • Rosie Acosta has studied yoga and mindfulness for more than 20 years and taught for over a decade. Rosie’s mission is to help others overcome adversity and experience radical love.

    More about Rosie
Your lifelong guide to better mental health

Your lifelong guide to better mental health

Stress, sleep, and all the challenging emotions — care for your mind with the everyday mental health app that's shown to make a difference.

Try 14 days free
Look After Your Mind

Look after your mind

Proven guided meditations and programs to help you stress less, sleep more soundly, and better navigate life’s challenges

Science Backed

Science-backed

Studies show that using Headspace for 30 days can reduce stress, increase resilience, and improve overall well-being

Explore Content

Explore 1000+ 
expert-led exercises

Access our library of meditations, breathing exercises, and guidance videos for stress, sleep, focus, everyday anxiety , parenting, and more.

Member reviews

Hear from some of our members

Your app brings so much peace and tolerance to our home.

Rachel

UK

Member-Icon-01

Changing my thoughts has allowed me to change my life.

Davide

London

Member-Icon-04

The stress and loneliness courses … taught me how to comfort myself.

Alicia

Canada

Member-Icon-03

Headspace provides me with … a connection to myself, and a disconnection from negative thoughts, feelings, and sensations.

Keri

UK

Member-Icon-02

Related to 'Embrace Positive Self Talk With Alex'

Create a Healing Hibernation, with Alex Elle

Podcast5 min

Solitude can help us grow.

More to explore

Beginning Meditation

Explore-More-Icon-02

Reframe Stress and Relax

Explore-More-Icon-01

New and Popular

Explore-More-Icon-03

Becoming a Mindful Parent

Explore-More-Icon-04
    • Terms & conditions
    • Privacy policy
    • Consumer Health Data
    • Your privacy choices
      Privacy Choices Icon
    • CA Privacy Notice
  • © 2024 Headspace Inc.
  • Terms & conditions
  • Privacy policy
  • Consumer Health Data
  • Your privacy choices
    Privacy Choices Icon
  • CA Privacy Notice