You're Talking Yourself to Death

Negative self-talk impacts our mental health, that’s an established fact, but many of us don’t realize the impact that negative self-talk has on our physical health. As humans, we love to talk about the things we dislike most about ourselves, but this takes a darker turn when we start to dismiss serious health concerns because of the way we feel about ourselves. Dismissing things like breathlessness, or feeling tired all the time, because we’ve told ourselves that we’re just overweight, or we’re just getting older, and that’s just how it’s going to be from here on out. In my own life, I’ve witnessed these narratives lead to blood transfusions due to low hemoglobin levels, and I’ve heard similar stories of women dismissing incredibly serious symptoms as their normal. As women, we’re almost conditioned this way, to talk ourselves out of things that may actually be serious. To tell ourselves that it’s not important, and to keep on going, but this sort of dismissal can be detrimental and even deadly.

Negative Self-Talk Changes Your Brain

Not only can negative self-talk keep you from getting the help you need (oftentimes both mental and physical) but it can actually change the way your brain functions. There is such a strong connection between the mind and the body. When we start the cycle of negative self-talk, our bodies react to it as a stressor. This stressor releases chemicals in the body, and the body then begins to believe it is in danger. As a byproduct of the chemicals released and the assumed danger, cortisol (our stress hormone) is released into the bloodstream. Not only are elevated levels of cortisol directly related to weight gain, but in chronic cases, where cortisol is continually being pumped through the body, it can actually decrease the size of the prefrontal cortex of the brain. The part of the brain is directly responsible for positive emotions. Once our brain structure starts to change, we begin to experience more negative emotions, because we have quite literally hard-wired our brain for them. Once we begin this cycle, we begin to experience more negative emotions, continue the habit of negative self-talk. The excess cortisol in our bloodstream can, in extreme cases, lead to weight gain, and this can start the cycle over again. It is possible to reverse this cycle, but it gets harder and harder to reach out for that help as we dig ourselves deeper and deeper.

A Healthy Relationship

Forming a healthy relationship with your body is the one of the most important relationships that you can develop to ensure that your mental and physical health isn’t suffering at your own hand. The best thing we can do for ourselves is to get to know our bodies without judgment. Easier said than done, but it’s so important for our health. Learning and understanding things like our menstrual cycles, any allergies or food sensitivities we may have, how our bodies react to stress on a normal day, and establishing a baseline of personal health are important to learn and to note so that when something does feel off, we have that baseline to compare it to, and we can get the help we feel we need. Focusing on our health in a more well-rounded way can help us begin the process of getting to know our bodies and we can start to release the toxic thoughts we have about ourselves. Focusing on how we feel instead of how we look, what foods we’re putting into our bodies, and other things that have nothing to do with a mirror or scale can help us to take control over our bodies, but also take control over our minds, which in the end can truly save our lives. If something feels off, ask for help, let this be the last time any of us use our negative thoughts to keep us from being healthy and living the life we deserve.