You talk to yourself all the time. Whether or not we can always hear it, we live and perform our world through our beliefs, attitudes, perceptions and images. We have a running narrative of who we are, what our lives mean, and how we evaluate the world. This is our unintentional self talk, that acts as lenses through which we perform our lives.
In order to be happier, healthier, and more productive (in a sustainable, non-abusive way), we would be well served to develop the skills and tools of intentional self talk. This skill is perhaps what I have written about most in this blog, and I am going to once again dedicate the next several posts to it.
In my coaching practice, I utilize several theories and perspectives to help clients develop these skills: cognitive therapy, CBT (slightly different from cognitive therapy theory), narrative therapy, existential psychology and philosophy, theories of oppression and the strengths perspective of social work. These seemingly unrelated and on the surface contradictory ways of approaching helping actually fit nicely together to form an empowering way of helping people take more agency for their lives. Together, they help us not ignore structural barriers, but understand how structural and institutional impediments become internalized overtime.
Let’s play a bit here with these ideas for a while.
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