Cheerleading Statements
People sometimes say negative things to us. Unfortunately, we may also say negative things and make negative judgments about ourselves. These negative messages, called “negative self talk”, make us feel bad about ourselves, and can be quite harmful. Here are some examples of negative self talk. Write down any you realize you say to yourself :
- I’m stupid….. dumb …….not as smart as (some other person)
- I’m ugly …too fat …too skinny ……not as pretty/good looking as
(some other person)
- I’m a loser…always mess up…..will never amount to anything
- I’m not worth it, that anyone should like me….love me…… care about me
- Bad things that happened to me were probably my fault
- Because of things I did/failed to do, I probably deserved bad things
that happened to me
- I don’t deserve good things…. kindness .…. love
- I’m a bad person …. A mistake ……damaged goods
- Bad things will probably happen to me
- The world would probably be better off without me
- It’s no use …..too late …..there’s no hope for a person like me
- I can’t make it better – I may as well make it worse
We can also give ourselves positive messages - this is called positive self talk, or cheerleading. Cheerleading statements are the words a good friend, good older brother or sister or parent might say to us, to encourage and support us. Or what we might say to someone else in our situation. Here are some examples - write down any you’d like to use for yourself :
- I have positive personal qualities : (make a list - and continue to add to it )
- I have skills and accomplishments : (make a list and add to it)
- I’m can find ways to make my life better !
- I can become the person I want to be
- I can find ways to be healthy : healthy in my body, healthy in the way
I think, and healthy in the way I deal with my feelings
- I can put in the effort and do my best - one day at a time
- I have certain reasonable needs in my life, and it’s OK for me to take
care of them
- I can do it ! (any realistic goal or task I set my mind to)
- I’ve survived bad things – I’m a strong person and I can give myself
credit for that
- I can learn from my mistakes and do better in the future
- I can develop new skills and positive personal qualities
- can add positive things to my life ..... and subtract negative things
one by one
- I deserve kindness, love and support, just like any other person
- It’s OK ask for help (from appropriate people) when I need it
- I have a right to be treated fairly and respectfully, just like any other person
- It’s OK to stand up for my rights, for my boundaries and for fair and respectful treatment
It can be helpful to identify the negative statements you’ve heard, both from other people and from ourselves – and replace them with positive, cheerleading statements :
1. What are some negative things that people have said to or about you that make you angry or sad, hurt your feelings or make you feel bad about yourself ?
2. What are some negative things you say to yourself that make you feel angry, depressed, sad or bad about yourself ?
3. Create a series of cheerleading statements for yourself - including one positive statement for each of your negative ones above. Writing these things down can help you stay clear and committed.
Say these statements to yourself on a regular basis - especially when someone has said something negative to you, or you notice you’re saying negative things to yourself. Add more statements as needed in new situations. Use cheerleading statements on an ongoing basis to improve your self confidence and self esteem, and your performance in stressful situations
Article and exercise : Jeff Smith RN
People sometimes say negative things to us. Unfortunately, we may also say negative things and make negative judgments about ourselves. These negative messages, called “negative self talk”, make us feel bad about ourselves, and can be quite harmful. Here are some examples of negative self talk. Write down any you realize you say to yourself :
- I’m stupid….. dumb …….not as smart as (some other person)
- I’m ugly …too fat …too skinny ……not as pretty/good looking as
(some other person)
- I’m a loser…always mess up…..will never amount to anything
- I’m not worth it, that anyone should like me….love me…… care about me
- Bad things that happened to me were probably my fault
- Because of things I did/failed to do, I probably deserved bad things
that happened to me
- I don’t deserve good things…. kindness .…. love
- I’m a bad person …. A mistake ……damaged goods
- Bad things will probably happen to me
- The world would probably be better off without me
- It’s no use …..too late …..there’s no hope for a person like me
- I can’t make it better – I may as well make it worse
We can also give ourselves positive messages - this is called positive self talk, or cheerleading. Cheerleading statements are the words a good friend, good older brother or sister or parent might say to us, to encourage and support us. Or what we might say to someone else in our situation. Here are some examples - write down any you’d like to use for yourself :
- I have positive personal qualities : (make a list - and continue to add to it )
- I have skills and accomplishments : (make a list and add to it)
- I’m can find ways to make my life better !
- I can become the person I want to be
- I can find ways to be healthy : healthy in my body, healthy in the way
I think, and healthy in the way I deal with my feelings
- I can put in the effort and do my best - one day at a time
- I have certain reasonable needs in my life, and it’s OK for me to take
care of them
- I can do it ! (any realistic goal or task I set my mind to)
- I’ve survived bad things – I’m a strong person and I can give myself
credit for that
- I can learn from my mistakes and do better in the future
- I can develop new skills and positive personal qualities
- can add positive things to my life ..... and subtract negative things
one by one
- I deserve kindness, love and support, just like any other person
- It’s OK ask for help (from appropriate people) when I need it
- I have a right to be treated fairly and respectfully, just like any other person
- It’s OK to stand up for my rights, for my boundaries and for fair and respectful treatment
It can be helpful to identify the negative statements you’ve heard, both from other people and from ourselves – and replace them with positive, cheerleading statements :
1. What are some negative things that people have said to or about you that make you angry or sad, hurt your feelings or make you feel bad about yourself ?
2. What are some negative things you say to yourself that make you feel angry, depressed, sad or bad about yourself ?
3. Create a series of cheerleading statements for yourself - including one positive statement for each of your negative ones above. Writing these things down can help you stay clear and committed.
Say these statements to yourself on a regular basis - especially when someone has said something negative to you, or you notice you’re saying negative things to yourself. Add more statements as needed in new situations. Use cheerleading statements on an ongoing basis to improve your self confidence and self esteem, and your performance in stressful situations
Article and exercise : Jeff Smith RN