Week Twenty-Six: Countering Fear through Positive Self-Talk

Working with clients and colleagues – and my own process – over the past month, one of the tools we’ve all found useful is to pay attention to what we’re telling ourselves that may unnecessarily increase our fear of the current environment of uncertainty. Whenever I get on the subway, I have a thought in the back of my mind where I wonder about what might happen this trip. Then, once I become aware of that thought, I remind myself that I’m here now, living this moment, and that I can’t control what happens next. I remind myself that life has been this way all the time – characterized by not knowing what the next moment will bring – I just didn’t have it as vividly in my awareness before. I also remind myself that I can actively contribute, in each moment, to goodness and connection in my actions and encounters with others.

For this week’s experiment, I’d like to invite you to generate supportive, comforting, and empowering statements that you can use when you find yourself caught in fear-based thinking or feeling. Some examples I’ve heard from colleagues and clients are:

I’m alive.
I can seek out, and spend time with, people I love.
I can ask for help when I need it.
I can take care of myself.
I can express love rather than hatred.
I can help others when the opportunity arises.
I can keep returning to the present moment and live it fully.
I can volunteer my time in ways that help me feel I’m doing something meaningful.
I can seek comfort in my spiritual beliefs and practices.
We’re all in this together.

There are many other possibilities, and I invite you to find the particular kinds of statements that offer you ease and comfort as you go about your daily activities. In a very real sense, this is an ongoing meditative practice – an opportunity to catch yourself caught up in fear-based thinking and then make the choice to shift it. The possibilities listed above are only that. They are some options among an infinite number of others. Notice what kinds of statements give you a sense – in your body, feelings, and mind – that you feel better, that you feel more settled and centered. Then, once you identify those that are particularly powerful for you, give yourself the gift of a positive internal dialogue as you move through your daily activities.

Click Here for Other Weeks in This Series:

Home Page