Hello! This week will be about self-doubt and negative self-talk. I wanted to go over a few things that can help you get through Self-Doubt with your writing.
No writer is perfect, and every writer struggles with self-doubt no matter what they say. You're not alone. Self-doubt can be destructive and can make you think you are not good enough to write. But you must not listen to these voices! You and every other writer in this world has a voice and story to share with this world! Don't let anyone tell you that you are not good enough to write, especially yourself.
We talk to ourselves more than anyone. We can either choose to talk negatively and hurt ourselves, or we can talk positively and choose to be happy and support ourselves. It's so important to tell ourselves that we can and that we are strong so we can build ourselves up.
Self-talk is how you talk with yourself, so if you talk negatively with yourself, you'll have a hard time talking and listening to others. The way we talk with ourselves affects our thinking and personality. When we have positive self-talk, we have a more positive look on things which affects how we show ourselves and speak with others. What we tell ourselves influences our interactions. If we always tell ourselves, we cannot do something, eventually our brains will believe that, and our self-esteem will decrease and so will our communication skills. But if we tell ourselves, we can, our minds shift and begin to believe we can and the way we communicate will be influenced by that.
Communication begins with the self.
Speaking negatively to yourself can cause issues not only with yourself but with others around you too. If you speak negatively to yourself, you may have trouble listening and communicating. If someone is talking to you and all you can think of is the worst, you are missing out on the other person’s words. Speaking positively can also influence your behaviors and self-esteem. Telling yourself you can, rather than you cannot, gives you a boost of confidence even when you feel you can’t. Telling yourself positive things helps you to create a brighter outlook on the world and helps your health even. When you are always focused on the negatives about your writing, you miss out on the great words you've written.
Be careful however with positive self-talk because if you do not believe the statements, it can harm you. You must take the time and be open to change and try your best to believe that those positive statements can be/are true.
Here are some small steps you can take to help boost your confidence in your writing and destroy self-doubt!
Breath, step back, and tell yourself it's okay.
Sometimes we are writing soooo much and never just step back for a moment for a break. We are so caught up in your writing that it becomes boring for us. Just like when you play a song over, and over, and over and soon it becomes not as good (of course some songs are just too good to get tired of!), never taking a break from your writing can make you feel like your writing is no good. Make sure to take a break sometimes. Almost always, after that break you'll have a refreshed mind and you'll be able to see the amazing words you've written.
Take a moment to just say positive things about your writing.
Just take 1-5 minutes right now and say or write down as many positive things you can think about your writing. Write it in list format and in no particular order. Just go off. Say what you like about the plot, that you like your style of writing. Mention your characters or say something nice about the cover or number of words. Look at this list every time you feel doubt creeping in. It can help you rediscover the good things and why you are writing.
Discover your reason.
Why do you write? Does it make you feel relaxed? Is it just fun? Does someone inspire you? Write your reason in big letters and set it beside your writing and every time you feel discouraged and doubtful, read that reason a few times.
Lastly, realize no one is perfect.
Yes, yes. We've all heard this one before. It's become such a popular statement, but for good reason! No one is perfect no matter how many hours they practice. We are all learning and improving and there's always something to improve. You should never judge your writing from the first draft!! First drafts are there to be messy, learn from, and improve. First drafts let you see what is missing and what needs to be changed or fixed. So many people see their first draft and just instantly say they are no good at writing. The first draft is just an outline! It's there to guide you into the future drafts and soon into the final, polished one. Look at yourself in the mirror right now. Go somewhere where you can see your reflection and just smile at yourself for a moment. After smiling tell yourself that no, you are not perfect, but you are trying your best and are learning from every mistake. Smile at yourself again and tell yourself that your writing is worthy and if someone doesn't see that well...too bad for them.
Thanks for reading to the end!
I hope this helped! If you have any more tips, write them in the comments and I can do a part 2!
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