A Simple and Effective Treatment for "I'll Never Be Good at This"

I recently experimented with a new idea. I have no idea how it came to me. When something happened that irritated or upset me, or I felt bad, I responded with "I want this". I sometimes immediately follow up with the question form "I want this?"

I've found this tremendously helpful in a number of ways. If for example, I'm engaged in some reflexive, self-absorbed, self-destructive "I'll never be good at this" type thinking, then the technique reminds me, immediately, that the thought is not mine, or as I put it many months ago, procedural. This makes it easy to dismiss and I'm free to move on without spiralling into negativity.

The "I want this" is a challenge. The provocative assertion, sometimes followed by the same in questioning form, forces you to challenge the thought and stop it in its tracks, before it turns into a day of waste.

I've found it has improved my effectiveness enormously. It's a conscious practice and if other practices in reducing your negative self-talk have failed, you might want to give this a try.