Talk to yourself like a friend

Today's action · 5 min

Next time you criticise yourself today, pause and talk to yourself using your own name or "you", as if advising a friend. Write down what you'd say to them.

Why it works

Kross and colleagues found that people who used their own name or "you" instead of "I" when thinking about a stressful situation felt less distressed and performed better in tasks like public speaking. A little distance makes it easier to be fair to yourself.

Source: Self-talk as a regulatory mechanism: How you do it matters (Kross et al., 2014)