Positive Self Talk: How to Encourage Yourself

Many times people feel dissatisfied because they don't feel appreciated by others. That's understandable. Of course we all long to be valued by others. But if our happiness depends on the encouragement of others, we may at times find ourselves being needlessly discouraged.

The solution is to encourage yourself!

Here are some ways to do just that.

List small aspects of big blessings. When encouraging yourself, it's great to start off with the well-known and obvious things such as family, friends, your home, and so on. But once you've listed those things, try to be more specific. For instance, if you're thankful for your family, one by one list the members of your family and then write a detailed listing of all of the ways you are thankful for that specific family member. The same can be true for the other biggies. For instance, if you are thankful for your home (and you should be, even if it is humble!), list the specifics about what you appreciate about your home. Think through every aspect of your home, and one by one, list what you are thankful for. Doing this in a detailed manner helps me to think of the benefits that I would normally overlook. For instance, I may think of my shower, and be thankful for good water pressure, for hot water, etc. Are those little things? Yes, and no! They are things you take for granted, and yet would certainly miss if you didn't have them! I've found it helpful to focus on one small aspect of the various big things in my life each day and list absolutely everything I can think that will encourage me.