When you are no longer numbing out with alcohol, you will find that all sorts of thoughts and feelings will come up, unfortunately not all of these will be good and that can be hard to handle. It may even make you question why you are doing this in the first place. So, what to do? My best advice about how to deal with negative self talk in sobriety is to fill yourself up with as much love, joy, gratitude and positivity as possible.
Let’s look at this in a bit more detail so you have some positive, empowering steps that you can take right now to help you deal with negative self talk in sobriety.
Ramp up the self care and self love
When we are drinking, we are no showing ourselves any self care or self love whatsoever. In order to banish that negative self talk in sobriety it is important to see that you are worthy, you are deserving, you are loved.
When you begin to feel good about yourself, even in the smallest of ways, the negative chatter will begin to disappear. Do something every single day that fills you up and makes you feel good.
Be kind to yourself. Listen to your body and soul, if you need a time out, take it. If you are craving some fresh air and exercise, do it. Learning to put yourself first for a change will help to bring in more loving and positive feelings.
Consciously practice positive thinking
Your mind is such a powerful thing and it is time to start using it to your advantage. Often the negative thoughts, feelings and beliefs remain simply because that is what you have been used to. When you constantly put yourself down, it is difficult to get out of that negative spiral.
Thankfully, you can start to change the focus by practicing saying positive, loving things to yourself. Affirmations and mantras are a fantastic way to do this. Start with three or four and say them to yourself every morning and then as often as you need to throughout the day. Write them on post it notes and stick them up around the house or save them to your phone and look at them whenever you need to.
Download your 20 inspiring affirmations for sobriety
Listen to guided meditations
Sometimes it can be tricky to say nice things to yourself, especially if it is a totally new concept for you and in my coaching this is an issue that I spend a lot of time helping clients with. The best way to get a boost of love and positivity is by listening to guided meditations, audios or visualizations.
The more you listen, the more the messages will filter through and you will discover that there is no room for the negative self talk anymore. Find some time every morning and evening to listen to something uplifting, inspiring and soothing.
I have created some guided visualisations to help you with this which you can find here. Alternatively, check out the list of meditation resources which details some great apps for guided meditations.
Connect with like minded people who can help and support you
When you have people you can talk to about your feelings and express yourself in a safe, supportive space, it makes the whole journey that much easier. Connecting with others is key. You will see that are not alone, that there others who are going through the exact same thing and there are people who will help you, support you and lift you up when you need it most.
Discover how to love, nurture and honour yourself through daily inspiration, journal prompts and powerful affirmations with the 30 days of Sober Inspiration e-book.
I really hope that these hints and tips will help you to deal with negative self talk in sobriety and hopefully you will begin to welcome in more loving, positive thoughts.
Which one resonates with you most? I’d love to hear in the comments what is helping you right now.
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