When you’re all alone at work, while driving, or even winding down your day at home, what are you saying to yourself?

  Your brain is always talking to you, but is is uplifting you or putting you down?

In an article from NPR.org, Laura Starecheski explores how self-talk impact our lives. She starts off with the following:

  From the self-affirmations of Stuart Smalley on Saturday Night Live to countless videos on YouTube, saying nice things to your      reflection in the mirror is a self-help trope that’s been around for decades, and seems most often aimed at women. The practice,    we’re told, can help us like ourselves and our bodies more, and even make us more successful — allow us to chase our dreams!

Impressed, but skeptical, I took this self-talk idea to one of the country’s leading researchers on body image to see if it’s actually part of clinical practice.

David Sarwer is a psychologist and clinical director at the Center for Weight and Eating Disorders at the University of Pennsylvania. He says that, in fact, a mirror is one of the first tools he uses with some new patients. He stands them in front of a mirror and coaches them to use gentler, more neutral language as they evaluate their bodies.

Are you aware of your self-talk? Sometimes we just need someone to help us understand how we speak to ourselves. Reach out to a trusted friend or family member and help each other pay attention to ow you both talk to yourselves.