Coping strategies: The power of talking

This month (3th February) 2022 marks Time to Talk Day.

You may be surprised to know that the simple act of talking actually has the power to make a big difference to someone’s resilience levels and can help reduce stress and anxiety.
Here are 3 small, but mighty ways to talkyour way to a more resilient self:

Speak the language of acceptance. The words ‘should’ or ‘ought’ have become a fixture in our everyday dialogue and we often use them to keep ourselves incheck. However, these two words can be problematic because they are judgemental in nature and can make us feel inadequate. When you feel you ‘should’ or ‘ought’ to do something, question yourself on why you feel that way and look ahead towards the benefits that something may bring to you. Try to take a non-judgemental stance towards yourself and lower your expectations. Ultimately, this will help protect both your resilience levels.

Ask yourself questions. It is important in challenging times that you are pragmatic about what you can control and avoid overburdening yourself or feeling bad if things do not go to plan. Ultimately when we are stressed, we lose the capacity to problem solve and this can become an issue. One way to avoid overwhelm is to ask yourself, “Is this in my control to do something about this?” If you can provide yourself with an answer, allow yourself to let the worry pass by, or act on what you can feasibly do. Turning your mind towards acceptance of the situation will help build resilience.

Self-talk your way to confidence. Having confidence in your own ability to cope with the stresses of life can play an important part in resilience. Likewise, being more confident in your own abilities, including your ability to respond to and deal with a difficult situation, is a great way to build resilience for the future too. Listen for negative comments in your head. When you hear them, practice immediately replacing them with positive ones. Or try saying “stop” straight after having a negative thought. How you talk to yourself can greatly affect how you think, feel and behave, and help to put things into perspective.

Never underestimate the power of talking