Emotional Self-Harm

​Abusive self-talk consists of talking poorly internally to yourself. For example, abusive self-talk may sound like, “I am not good enough to get any job,” or “I am useless,” or “I will end up alone.” This abusive self-talk can lead to an increase in anxiety, depression, and emotional self-harm. Someone may engage in abusive self-talk for a variety of different reasons but not limited to having a low self-esteem or low self-worth of oneself, experienced some sort of trauma in childhood or even adulthood, were in some sort of an abusive relationship where the voice in your head may resemble the way you were spoken to by a parent, teacher, or other member of authority. 
 
The first step in resolving this issue and treating abusive self-talk is to become aware of that inner voice. Once you are aware, you have more control over recognizing the need to change. Then, question yourself, would you talk this way to a friend or someone you care about? Additionally, it may be useful to investigate the cause and/or moment that you started feeling more down and being hard on yourself. Try to explore the origin in which you started speaking to yourself in this negative way. Furthermore, psychotherapy is a very useful and effective tool. If you are not ready to start psychotherapy, then it may be useful to write down positive affirmations and place them throughout your home. Place them on your mirror, next to your bed, and by your door. Remind yourself of the positive attributes that you have and all that you are capable of. As you become more aware of the internal self-harm you are engaging in, you can work on transforming your inner critic towards being a more warm, kind, and accepting tone.