Self Talk

I was listening to tonight’s segment of the radio/internet program, “Night Sounds,” and the late (dead, not delayed) Bill Pearce was speaking on the issue of what psychologists refer to as, “Self Talk.”

People really are their own worst enemies, as everyone of us are prone to these inner (and sometimes outer) monologues which only contribute to our own pain, lack of motivation, and personal defeatism, i.e. the following examples.

“You have always been a failure. Why should this time be any different?”

(or)

“You have to be the ugliest person, physically, emotionally and relationally, who ever lived on planet Earth. Why don’t you just give up and go on down the road?”

(or)

“You’re never going to amount to a hill of beans. Why don’t you just settle for some menial job, and remain unhappy the rest of your days?”

(Aren’t words like these complete and total “downers”? One gets depressed just reading them. You can imagine how their repetition almost irrevocably impacts and inflicts a person’s psyche).

I was visiting with a relative in the hospital today, and after several successive complaints, I said, 

“’Martha,’ why don’t you just get happy?”

To which she responded, 

“Well, Lord knows I try.”

To which I replied,

“No, I don’t think you do!”

And as one of my former students mused,

“I'm so tired of people complaining about their misery! The past few months all I've been hearing and seeing is people complaining about their health and what they're going through! 

… How about being GRATEFUL you're freaking alive!”

Well said, Scottie!!!

By William McDonald, PhD. Excerpt from "(Mc)Donald's Daily Diary" Vol. 21. 

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