Self-Talk: Does it Matter?

Gardenlover

Gardenlover

The world needs more love
I recently had a rather animated conversation with my best friend. I overheard a phone conversation she was having with a friend comparing the types of medication they ingest. The conversation almost seemed competitive in nature. Once the phone conversation was over I mentioned that I didn't think it was healthy to focus so much attention on aches, pains and medications. Well, that blew the lid off the pot and I almost had a few new aches and pains to talk about myself.

I likened the conversation to negative self-talk, which I believe affects the course and quaility of one's life. The mind is very powerful.

What are your thoughts on the subject?
 

IMO it makes a huge difference in all areas of our lives.

“If you cannot see the bright side of life, polish the dull side.” - Christina Dodd

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Aunt Bea said:
IMO it makes a huge difference in all areas of our lives.

“If you cannot see the bright side of life, polish the dull side.” - Christina Dodd

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Allot of truth here, and it applies to many things. Health for one, I 'bitch' & moan [to myself] and have [here] about my O/A , etc. But I know there are those that suffer from much worse, and live a much more difficult life than I .

I envy the guy, [whom ever he may be] who is out for a walk this morning , and yet there is someone somewhere, that envies me because, I need not go for "treatments' today.

Life in general is a fickle deal......some are just blessed I suppose ? And I suppose in general,.....it could always be worse.
 

RadishRose said:
I have noticed that some people I know seem to enjoy talking about their ailments, surgeries and medications.

When it goes on and on, or if it seems that's all they want to talk about....well, that's sad.
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Exactly, Rose. Sometimes we all need to talk about infirmities, problems, financial challenges, difficult relationships and other struggles. It helps us process what we're going through. More importantly, other people's advice or sympathy usually brings in some light where we could only see darkness.

That said, people have a limited tolerance for another's laundry list of complaints, not to mention when someone whines about the same old story. After a couple of minutes it's time to brighten up and move on to more positive topics.
 
RadishRose said:
I have noticed that some people I know seem to enjoy talking about their ailments, surgeries and medications.

When it goes on and on, or if it seems that's all they want to talk about....well, that's sad.
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IMO old folks should establish a don't ask don't tell policy when it comes to health concerns and the oneupmanship that often goes with them.
 
rgp said:
Allot of truth here, and it applies to many things. Health for one, I 'bitch' & moan [to myself] and have [here] about my O/A , etc. But I know there are those that suffer from much worse, and live a much more difficult life than I .

I envy the guy, [whom ever he may be] who is out for a walk this morning , and yet there is someone somewhere, that envies me because, I need not go for "treatments' today.

Life in general is a fickle deal......some are just blessed I suppose ? And I suppose in general,.....it could always be worse.
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Agree. Whenever I feel sorry for myself for being deaf and wonder how ''wonderful'' life would be with good hearing, my subconscious always reminds me that being deaf is much more tolerable than being blind or a quadriplegic. At least being deaf I can still live independently.
 
I don't mean to be flippant and disrespectful. Anyone who's lucky enough to live long enough will have aches and pains. Who better to tell about them than loving friends who have the option to not listen with the simple push of a button.

It's far better than a neighbor who's cornered in the market.
 
Gardenlover said:
I recently had a rather animated conversation with my best friend. I overheard a phone conversation she was having with a friend comparing the types of medication they ingest. The conversation almost seemed competitive in nature. Once the phone conversation was over I mentioned that I didn't think it was healthy to focus so much attention on aches, pains and medications. Well, that blew the lid off the pot and I almost had a few new aches and pains to talk about myself.

I likened the conversation to negative self-talk, which I believe affects the course and quaility of one's life. The mind is very powerful.

What are your thoughts on the subject?
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The studies on the impact of positive self-talk cover a wide array of benefits . . .everything from athletic endurance, to improved resilience and improved self-concept. Of course, these studies also validate Henry Ford's point when he said: Whether you think you can or can't, you're right.
 
Gardenlover said:
I likened the conversation to negative self-talk, which I believe affects the course and quaility of one's life. The mind is very powerful.

What are your thoughts on the subject?
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I absolutely think how we talk every day affects our overall well-being. I can see sharing your health problems with friends, that in itself can be healing in a way. But to do it in excess and always think in a negative manner does no good for your physical or mental health IMO.

I knew someone where if you said it was a nice day outside, they'd say yeah but it's not gonna last, rain in forecast. If you said you had a headache, they had a migraine. You get the drift, one-upping on anyone's illness and never a positive word out of their mouth. Just being around people like that can affect your mood and drain your energy.

I don't always do it, but I should. A positive affirmation in the morning is a good start to the day. Just while alone, look out the window or in the mirror and say out loud something like 'today I will be strong yet kind', or 'today I will find joy in the little things I do'. Sounds corny, but I did it for a while and it was a feel-good way to start the day.
 
Catlady said:
Agree. Whenever I feel sorry for myself for being deaf and wonder how ''wonderful'' life would be with good hearing, my subconscious always reminds me that being deaf is much more tolerable than being blind or a quadriplegic. At least being deaf I can still live independently.
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I agree Catlady, I try to look at the 'big picture' if I'm bummed out about something. Once you think about the suffering that some other people have to go through, sometimes from birth, you see your ailment or condition in a different perspective. Things can always be worse.
 
gennie said:
No, but please do. And I'll bring you up to date on my hemorrhoidectomy


Please tell all, maybe we can do a documentary, was there a lot of probing, sounds so interesting.

Seriously, one of my sons had one, terrible, just terrible.
I teased him, couldn't help it
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SeaBreeze said:
I knew someone where if you said it was a nice day outside, they'd say yeah but it's not gonna last, rain in forecast. If you said you had a headache, they had a migraine. You get the drift, one-upping on anyone's illness and never a positive word out of their mouth. Just being around people like that can affect your mood and drain your energy.
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Haha. I remember an old "Mary Tyler Moore" episode where if Mary said she had something bad, her friend Phyllis would say her problem was even worse. This went on through the episode and Mary was getting increasingly annoyed.
 
In this age of social media one essential part of human interaction has apparently lost it's place. It was known as "ignore."
 

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