How many times have we used self-criticism as a motivational tool to push ourselves to do more and make ourselves more productive.

We are mindful of what we say to others, but we are not careful about what we tell ourselves, the words we use for ourselves. When we miss a deadline, fail to snag a project, we tell ourselves that we are no good, we are lazy, we don’t try enough, , we won’t go far, etc.

But have you ever thought as to how far you can go, how much more productive you can be if you treat yourself with the same compassion that you show others. How well your work day goes, if you appreciate yourself enough instead of criticizing yourself every step of the way!

Negative Self-Talk and Self-Deprecation Examples

We say these things like to ourselves:

I am quite clumsy!

I am no good!

I did nothing today!

I wasted the whole day!

I did a stupid thing!

Why am I so stupid!

I am not good at this at all!

I should have done this!

I shouldn’t have done that!

Negative Self-Talk and Self-Deprecation Stem From…

You use negative words and phrases to push yourself forward. But if you keep using them over and over, it becomes a pattern.  You actually start believing in them. Your self-esteem starts plummeting. The negative self-talk becomes more frequent and turns into a negative self-esteem.

Can you imagine the kind of signals you send others when you have nothing but negative things to say about yourself! Maybe, your low self-esteem is what actually behind how you talk to yourself, the negative things you tell yourself, the negative perceptions you hold for yourself. The words you tell yourself reveal the kind of self-image you hold for yourself.

Either way, you need to change the way how you talk to yourself! You need to show care in the words you use for yourself in your head and when talking to people.

Replace Self-Deprecation with Self-Appreciation

If you want to change how you deal with yourself, how you talk to yourself, then you need to become aware of yourself. Self-awareness helps you recognize negative self-talk and self-depreciation.
Self-awareness can help you fix your self-esteem issues. It helps you create a better self-image for yourself. It starts with becoming aware of the words you use for yourself and consciously diminish them or replace them with positive words:

Instead of saying, “I did nothing all day!”, say “I did some small but significant things!” or say, “I had things to do, but I chose to rest today!”

Instead of saying, “I am not good at this!”, you can say, “It’s not one of my strengths, but I can give it a go!”

Instead of saying, “I am so stupid!”, you can say, “I don’t much insight there!” Or, “I am prone to make mistakes!”

Even the smallest changes in our vocabulary, the words and phrases we use can have a monumental difference in our outlook, our behavior and actions. It changes the way we portray ourselves to others and how we interact.

To Sum Up

Have you ever realized how hard we can sometimes be on ourselves in terms of the things we say to ourselves, about ourselves? We tell ourselves that we are lazy and no good just to push ourselves harder, be more productive.  Having a low opinion of ourselves and our efforts have a long term, negative impact on our productivity and our mental health. If we learn to treat ourselves with kindness, positivity and appreciation, we are going to make long term progress, instead of settling for small productivity gains. So make it a habit to replace self-depreciation with self-appreciation and kindness everyday.