The Self-Talk Workout
Six Science-Backed Strategies to Dissolve Self-Criticism and Transform the Voice in Your Head
-
-
5.0 • 2 Ratings
-
-
- $15.99
-
- $15.99
Publisher Description
Self-talk matters, but what methods of building healthy self-talk actually work? This how-to guide shares evidence-based techniques to go from being your own worst critic to your own best friend.
Perhaps you want to be nicer to yourself but don’t really know how to get there. Or maybe you’re someone who assumes self-criticism is a permanent part of your personality. Rest assured you’re not alone—millions of people struggle with the toll that excessive self-criticism takes on their minds, energy levels, jobs, and relationships. And problems with self-talk vary dramatically from one person to the next: they can appear as mild but persistent inner criticism, full-blown self-loathing, or the pain of internalized oppression or abuse.
After over twenty years of working with individuals, groups, and classes on self-criticism and related challenges, psychologist and mindfulness teacher Dr. Rachel Goldsmith Turow offers the “self-talk workout”—six doable exercises that can help you replace self-criticism with self-kindness and self-encouragement. Specific self-talk strategies such as “Spot the success,” “Fail forward,” and “Allowing all feelings, skillfully,” require just a few minutes a day. These skills can be practiced individually to transform your self-talk, or you can choose to combine two or more exercises to enhance your self-talk workout. Each chapter features a core exercise, variations on the strategy that might feel right for you, scientific studies supporting each approach, and success stories to inspire your own practice.
Turow includes examples from her own life and experiences as a psychotherapist, as well as lessons from her students and respected public figures such as Michelle Obama and Thich Nhat Hanh, to show that the burden of harsh self-criticism need not go on forever: the way that we relate to ourselves can be changed.
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
In this ho-hum program, clinical psychologist Turow (Mindfulness Skills for Trauma and PTSD) offers guidance on curbing self-criticism. Noting that many people think their negative self-talk is a "fixed characteristic," Turow draws on psychological research and patients' stories to address how readers can change their attitudes toward themselves by developing a more positive self-perception. Her most novel suggestion is to "act before you think" because "service itself—the action rather than the intention—cultivates positive internal states." She describes the underlying psychological concept of behavioral activation ("doing active stuff even when you don't feel like it") and urges readers to try an activity they've been contemplating, but don't feel ready for. The rest of the advice feels largely conventional by comparison: practice deliberate breathing, see the upside of one's situation, and nurture positivity through meditation. Readers will nonetheless appreciate the exercises, which encourage thinking positively by writing down 10 things that went well during one's day and accepting that "suffering is part of being human" by acknowledging one's negative feelings and then performing a self-care activity such as going for a walk. Turow doesn't bring much new to the table, but the straightforward advice will satisfy those less experienced with the topic.
