Lets talk about our self talk, as most battles are won or lost in the mind, before it happens on any battle field. RANTs (Revoke Automatic Negative Thoughts) Not talking about the little critters though, ANTs are sneaky, grumpy thoughts that pop into your head and at times may sort of steal the best from you. They act like pests. You can stop them with a simple 3-step trap: catch the thought, question it, and replace it with a better self talk thought.
Step 1 Catch the ANT!
If You feel sad, mad, or nervous. Write down your thought.
This takes the thought out of your head so you can see it clearly.
Step 2: Question the ANT.
Think of your ANT as a bug that is not telling the truth.
Is this thought really true to me?
What if this thought is totally wrong? (You have the right to question yourself)
Step 3: Replace the ANT
Flip the negative thought into a positive, helpful thought.
For example, if you are trying to quit smoking cigarettes, even just change what you tell yourself a little, into at least telling yourself once to see how it fits, I am not a smoker, I enjoy being able to breathe in fresh air easy, that helps me to feel relaxed. It is true to you, you are not always a smoker, you are not always smoking. You can tell yourself this, and if you can believe yourself on this, then you may find that leverage to free yourself from this. Somethings are good to try.
Mini disclaimer from the Writer here, please consider being as kind as you can to real creatures including ants, and probably best if you do NOT go around questioning others self talk to try to help them too. This is a SELF help guide, not a me help you type thing, as I don’t know what your ANTs are and people can be very sensitive and not everyone is as ready as you are perhaps… In our pursuit to help others we must do our best to do no harm too.