The Power of Self-Talk

Today's post is slightly more personal than my previous but one that I think many readers can relate to- the way we talk to ourselves and the effects that can have on our mental wellbeing. Generally known as 'self-talk'. 

Huh? You may ask, so let me explain. As we approach our sixth week of isolation...I think (it has all become a blur), the endless amounts of spare time has forced me to do a bit of self-reflection. Dangerous, some may say, however, I noticed myself getting into the habit of beating myself up for not having a productive day, not using isolation to do the things that I had previously been too busy to do, not exercising, and for frankly just being a little bit lazy. Negative self-talk.  

I realised that, even before isolation, the self-talk I use is overwhelmingly negative and I tend to hinder myself by being unnecessarily mean to myself. Having talked to those close to me, I found that I wasn't the only one to do this. So, I decided to do some research... 

What exactly is negative self-talk? 

We all have an inner critic. However, this little voice inside us is not always a bad thing. I'm a firm believer that a little self-criticism is a good thing as it pushes us to self-analyse and to hopefully not make the same mistake twice. Self-talk is a normal process that all humans use to make sense of things. However, I've learned that a lot of the things we say to ourselves are negative self-talk, which can actually hinder more than help us.  

Negative self-talk is inner dialogue that places limitations on yourself, your ability to believe in yourself and your unique capabilities. This type of self-talk is the irrational things we tell ourselves when a job/ relationship/ life in general doesn't go to plan. It is the thoughts that damage the confidence we have to make positive changes in our lives. For example, suppose you were rejected from a job and automatically doubt your capabilities and employability, the reality is that the job probably wasn't right for you and a better one is waiting around the corner. However, rather than seeing this, we choose to blame ourselves. I am extremely guilty of this kind of self- talk as many of the people close to me know, however, the danger is that if you keep telling yourself these irrational things you will eventually start to believe them. 

Why do these negative thoughts happen?

Some reasons may include- a bad mood, learned behaviour that may come from your childhood, anxiety or depression, irrational thoughts that you believe about yourself or due to past experiences. For many of us, being self-critical is almost a default mode. In this post, I thought I would share with you all some things I have learned to help combat negative self-talk. Hopefully, we can learn together to be kinder to ourselves in lockdown, and beyond. 

1.  It Is Not Always Reality

The first thing I’ve been trying to do to reduce negative self-talk is to challenge it. It's important to remember that the majority of our thoughts aren’t true and are often influenced by our mood and other factors. What I have been trying to do when I find myself being self-critical is to take note and challenge myself. Instead of automatically taking these negative thoughts as facts and torturing ourselves, we must practise self-compassion. Being a little bit kinder to ourselves. 

"When faced with difficult life struggles, or confronting personal mistakes, failures, and inadequacies, self-compassion responds with kindness rather than harsh self-judgment, recognizing that imperfection is part of the shared human experience." 1

Whenever we can’t make sense of things that have happened to us often the easiest thing to do is to blame ourselves. This is a natural human instinct. However, from now onwards whenever you find yourself in a bit of a crappy situation, do your best not to automatically blame yourself. Rather, challenge yourself to think logically about the situation, taking the time to recognise all the situational factors involved. For example, if a friend stops talking to you it is not automatically your fault. Perhaps, you have done everything that you could do and they are just going through something personal. Likewise, if the opposite does apply and you have done something to upset them, it is not helpful to keep torturing yourself over it. Instead, apologise and move forward, realising that you are only human and make mistakes. 

One thing I find helpful is to talk to a family member /friend about the situation I am anxious about. Often, the way they react is the complete opposite of the scenario that my irrational thoughts created in my head.  

  2.  Think Like A Friend 

The next time you find yourself engaging in negative self-talk, think about what you would say to a friend who was going through the same thing. Very often, we say things to ourselves that we never would to a friend. You may think this is fine, but the truth is that this repeated habit of self-deprecation can be damaging to your mental well-being and self-confidence in the long run. 

This is something that I struggle with. Somehow if my friend is going through something, got a low mark in an assignment or whatever, my immediate reaction is to tell them that it's not a big deal and that they will do better the next time. However, when it comes to myself, I think ‘well, I mustn’t have tried hard enough’. We need to realise that we deserve to give ourselves the same compassion that we would give a friend. 

I've decided that battering my brain about things that I could have done better is neither a healthy mindset to have nor a sustainable way to motivate myself. I am who I am because of my flaws just as much as my talents, so I should start accepting that. Anyway, the point is that the next time we find ourselves saying something negative to ourselves, let’s counteract these thoughts by thinking about what we would say to a friend if they were in a similar situation and repeat it to ourselves. Eventually, we should start to believe it...

 3.  Cut down on social media, especially Instagram

Social media is our worst enemy whenever we are feeling low about ourselves. As the saying goes, comparison is the thief of joy. Whenever we are feeling low, it’s easy for us to compare ourselves to other people on social media and their seemingly 'perfect' lives. During lockdown especially our mental health is challenged, and social media does not help this at all. While I enjoy seeing what everyone has been up to, I have found myself spending hours mindlessly scrolling on Instagram for no apparent reason other than boredom. 

Flawless feeds, endless live workouts, and countless people demonstrating their newfound quarantine skills. These are all great things. However, I know from my own experience and that of my friends, this constant scrolling has resulted in me feeling crappy if I didn’t have a productive day or feel like doing any of the things those on my feed were doing. Ultimately leading me to engage in negative self-talk. 

Having actively reduced the time I spend on my phone, I have found that I feel much better about my days and now fill them with things that I want to do, rather than what I feel I have to. It’s fine to do things at your own pace. 

The same applies to life outside of lockdown as well. As a generation, we aspire to perfection in all areas of life and social media is a great contributing factor to this. The problem with social comparisons is that they are not realistic. Life is not perfect nor straightforward, far from it. I would love to say that I have my life together in all aspects, but I don’t think anyone ever really does. With this in mind, we should remember that most people on Instagram or whatever social platform it may be, are only presenting the best version of themselves. Those who you compare your body, job, relationship to, most likely have their own insecurities and parts of their lives they are unhappy with too. 

 

So, I hope reading this will help you all to remember that, while its important to be kind to other people, we must make sure to be kind to ourselves. Instead of just accepting negative self-talk as part of the way we are as humans, let's change up the pattern and practise these small things to try to reduce it. Practising positive self-talk will in return make you a lot happier and it will make reaching your goals a lot easier. 

You really do deserve it. 

Also, disclaimer alert- I am obviously no expert but I just thought it would be helpful to share what I have learned based on research I have done. However, if you have intense negative thoughts that you feel are unmanageable, please chat to someone close to you or I have provided contact information for people who can help below. Even if it's simply wanting someone to talk to. 

Samaritans UK - phone number available to call 24 hours a day 7 days a week: 116 123 

Click here for a list of suicide crisis lines for wherever you are in the world.

[1] Kristin Neff, a Professor of Educational Psychology. 

COVID-19: Reality Check

Within the space of a couple of weeks, life as we have known it has changed. The arrival of COVID-19 has become the biggest global emergency since the Second World War and brought with it more suffering than we ever could have imagined. 

Mother nature has spoken and has given us all a well-needed reality check— a reminder of WHAT and WHO is important, and how fragile and precious life is.  

The first reminder is that we are all one and the same. No matter what false idea of superiority the Western world functions on, a virus does not regard borders, race, ethnicity, social status, religion or gender. Privilege does not grant us immunity. However, in the same way, it is this privilege that grants us access to adequate health care, sanitisation products and a safe home to shelter in.

While researching for this post, I came across a blog post on the MSF (Medecins Sans Frontiers) website that I have linked here. It is a moving piece that outlines the reality of coronavirus for developing countries where health-care systems like the NHS are unheard of, war and conflict are a reality of daily existence and where social distancing is essentially impossible due to overcrowded housing and slums. 

Death from disease due to inadequate health care is common in developing countries. As we know, Ebola is a highly infectious virus that kills up to 90% of those who catch it and has killed thousands, primarily in Africa, over the past 40 years. The latest outbreak in Congo was just last year and continues to this day. However, this has gone relatively unreported in Western media and there remains no specific cure or treatment yet. 

There is now an urgent appeal from governments to medical workers and scientists across the globe to find a form of treatment and vaccines for coronavirus- rightly so. However, while this is key to saving the lives of many, it proves that governments can act decisively when they need to. I cannot help but question why the same effort has not been implemented for diseases such as Ebola that have wiped out entire families in Africa and other developing countries? We are all now experiencing the fear and worries already felt by so many in our own society and across the globe. My hope is that, once this is all over, governments, leaders and policy makers realise that they need to collaborate on a global scale to prevent and tackle health crises that affect the developing world every day. 

 "I hope COVID-19 not only teaches us to wash our hands but makes governments understand that healthcare must be for all."- Jonathan Whittal, MSF Director of Analysis.

Coronavirus has reminded us that we are all one and the same. But it has also further highlighted the inhumane divide of privilege that exists between the developed world and its neighbours.

The second reminder is a more positive one, and that is of the importance of loved ones. 

Social distancing and semi-lockdown have brought the country to a standstill; forcing us all into our homes and to inevitably slowdown from the fast-paced nature of life. With the constant demands of work, university studies and everyday life, we often forget to make time for those who matter most to us. 

I am not saying that before all of this we did not appreciate our loved ones, however, there is something special about how I have seen families unite in this time of crisis. My social media timeline is not only filled with people spending quality time with their loved ones but also devoting time to themselves, doing things that their busy schedules would not normally allow them to do. I know that I have spoken to my grandparents more in the last couple of weeks than I would have the rest of the year and that is something I will continue to do once life returns to normal. Perhaps, we should all make a conscious effort to maintain these habits when we return to our usual routines. Whether that be going on a family bike ride, going for lunch with our grandparents or simply taking the time to sit and reflect on life and what is important to us…

The third reminder is of the immeasurable value of essential workers- those in society who long before this virus dedicated their everyday lives to helping others and who went under appreciated by governments and people. It is the nurses, doctors, public health workers, care givers, social workers, supermarket workers and teachers who are carrying us all through this scary time. And sadly, it is these individuals who are least paid and have been subject to government cuts over the last couple of years. 



In the last couple of weeks, there has been more government appraisal and support of the NHS than ever before. And while it is good that their vital work is finally being recognised and supported, it is sad that it is under these heartbreaking circumstances that this is the case…my only hope is that, once this is all over, their value is remembered and duly rewarded. 

The final reminder is of the importance of community. As I previously mentioned, we live in a society that operates at a hundred miles an hour and because of this, we often become detached from one another. But for all of the negative outcomes that this pandemic has brought, one thing that I have seen is people, whether that be in real-life or online, coming together and supporting each other. It is a beautiful thing and something that we should all be encouraged to do. Whether that is through delivering essentials to elderly or vulnerable neighbours, supporting local food businesses or simply just a phone call to check in on someone… it might be just exactly what they need and it could also make your own day that little bit brighter too. 

So that is my humble opinion on what we can learn from this unprecedented time of our lives. I remain positive that we can emerge from this pandemic stronger as a global community, appreciative of our essential workers and think about what we can do to close the inequality gap that exists between us and those who, through a cruel twist of fate, are not as privileged. Hopefully our governments and leaders will do the same... 

Stay indoors, stay positive and remember that it’s okay not to have it all together in this scary time. 

2020: The Year of the Woman?

2020 is a momentous year for women’s rights across the globe, marking the 25^th Anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action, where 189 governments committed to the advancement of gender equality. 2020 is also the 10^th anniversary of the establishment of U.N. Women, and the 100^th year of women’s suffrage in the U.S. 

Yet, in 2020 no country has achieved gender equality.

As we prepare to celebrate International Women’s Day on Sunday, March 8, this year more than ever it is important to not only celebrate the progress made towards gender equality since the landmark declaration but also establish what vital change still needs to happen. Today, I want to reflect on key areas where improvement has been seen but also where vast inequality still exists. 

Women’s voices are getting louder across the globe. 

Photo: Christina Animashaun/Vox

In recent years, the rise of the #MeToo movement has pushed a vital conversation about sexual violence into the public domain. Originating in 2006 on the social media of activist Tarana Burke, the viral #MeToo hashtag has transformed into the world’s first mass movement that empowers and stands in solidarity with the victims of sexual abuse. 

The latest example of its success is the conviction of Harvey Weinstein- considered a #MeToo milestone. The series of accusations against the Hollywood producer in October 2017 propelled the movement into action, creating a collective community where victims who had been silenced by rape culture could speak out. Since then, over 250 influential people have been the subject of sexual harassment, assault, or other misconduct allegations. 

Weinstein was found guilty of rape and a criminal sexual act- making him the first high-profile figure to be convicted from this movement. While the fact that one of Hollywood’s best-known directors even stood trial is momentous and marks a cultural shift in the way the justice system responds to sexual abuse, it has not been without struggle and pain for countless women. After all, it is worth remembering that, regardless of the backlash the movement has received for being an apparent 'witch-hunt' of men, Weinstein only stood trial for 5 cases out of over 80 filed against him. 

 “And, though today a man has been found guilty, we have to wonder whether anyone will care about the rest of us tomorrow. This is why we say MeToo.”- Tarana Burke

Many of the women that have accused powerful men have faced extreme backlash- creating a culture of shame that continues to silence women. From all over the world to right on our doorstep, only 23% of survivors report sexual abuse crimes. 

Women’s voices are getting louder, but we must listen. 

Improvements in Health and Education 

Improvements in women's and girl’s health and education worldwide is one of the major successes over the past 25 years. There are now more girls are at school than ever before, global literacy rates are rising and on average, the gender gap in school enrolment has closed. We know that education and health go hand in hand, for example, statistics have shown that educated girls are likely to have fewer babies and to be better mothers. This means that improving women's sexual and reproductive health is extremely important. 

Thankfully, this has been seen in many developing countries across the world. For example, both Ethiopia and Rwanda have increased access to modern contraception by 40 percent since 2000.  As a result, fewer women are dying in childbirth and have access to institutional maternity care. 

“Education is a powerful way to break the cycle of poverty, ill health, misery, and low status passed on from one generation of women to the next” - Dr. Margaret Chan, Director-General of the World Health Organization

However, there are a staggering number of girls across the world who still have little or no access to education, with nearly half a billion of those aged over 15 being illiterate. The reason for this is that in many countries, the education of girls is not valued. In Northern Nigeria, for example, girls from poorer families are hit even harder, with families seeing it as more sensible to send boys to school and let girls stay home to help with chores. In terms of health, sexual and reproductive health conditions remain one of the leading causes of disease for women and girls. 

Every girl, no matter where she lives, should have the right to safe and quality education so that she can have the future she dreams of and .  

For more info on the importance of women's education, the Malala Fund website is a good place to start. 

Women in Power 

Photo: Jason Straziuso/AP

Although we live in a world where the words men and power are synonymous with each other, there are many reasons to be optimistic. Since the Beijing Declaration, there have been many powerful women crashing through the glass ceiling that exists in politics. In fact, over three-quarters of the world's female Prime Ministers and Presidents have taken office in the past two decades. 

Around the world, there are more women in politics than ever before- taking positions of power in places where there previously existed a deep-rooted belief that only men should be leaders. 

A major success story of women challenging the status quo has taken place in Rwanda. Having been recently named the number 1 country for women in politics, in Rwanda there is the highest number of female parliament representatives in the world. Following the 1994 genocide which killed the majority of the male population, women took control of rebuilding the nation. Now, the country has been labelled a global model for gender equality. This serves as a powerful example that others too can fight for change in places where it may appear impossible. 

In Spain, nearly two-thirds of the government’s cabinet ministers are women and in the Nordic countries, nearly all governments are headed by a woman, except for Sweden. Women everywhere are rising as leaders and redefining the gendered roles that had restricted their ancestors. 

However, that being said political equality remains an area of slow progress. The majority of parliamentary seats are held by men meaning that women are underrepresented across all levels of power. This is particularly true for Middle Eastern countries, Afghanistan and Pakistan, where many women are still denied even the right to vote by their husbands and communities. This shows the vastly different experiences of women in relation to politics across the globe, depending on where they are born. With no right to political representation, countless women's voices are silenced. 

We must speak on behalf of the women and girls who are unable to speak for themselves...

As we celebrate International Women’s Day and the 25^th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration, we can ask ourselves- is the world a better place for women and girls than it was in 1995? In many ways, the answer is yes. Vital progress has been made. However, we still live in a world where billions of women and girls are denied basic human rights everyday, and many changes need to be made. Perhaps to us, the everyday individual, this may appear an impossible task. However, I've come to realise that change isn't just about the headline moments- it is the way we talk, think and act every day that can make a huge impact. After all, one of the largest women's movements of our time began with a simple hashtag on Twitter. 

Let us all make this special year for women the year that we all commit to gender equality.  

I end this blog post with this important quote from one of my favourite authors, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie: 

"Culture does not make people. People make culture. If it is true that the full humanity of women is not our culture, then we can and must make it our culture."