Are you your own worst enemy? I’ve been guilty of it myself. “I’m so stupid.” “I’m not good enough to do ______.” Why do we say these things? Are they really that big of a deal? Is it okay for us to say these things to ourselves? They’re just thoughts, so it’s okay. Dr. Caroline Leaf, in her book “Switch On Your Brain,” presents some mind boggling ideas that are worth considering. In her book, she describes thoughts as “real physical things that occupy mental real estate.” First consider the initial part of that idea: thoughts are physical! You may think she wants us to picture thoughts as physical things, but no, she literally means thoughts are physical. In her research, she shows pictures of what thoughts actually look like! Second, if thoughts are physical, they take up real estate in the brain. We only have so much physical real estate in the brain to give up. Why would we allow our limited real estate to be crowded with negativity? Third, if thoughts are physical realities, and if they take up real estate in the brain, then that means they change the shape of the brain. Our brains are physically changed by the thoughts we allow to occupy them! While this may sound discouraging, there is hope. Our brains are malleable. We don’t have to simply accept that our thoughts (or our self talk) are stuck and cannot change. So, what do you think? Is it that big of a deal to use self talk such as, “I’m stupid.”? Given the three points above, I’ll let you decide what you need to do with that. Consider how difficult it will be, however, when you decide to change your thoughts when the shape of your brain has adapted to negativity. It will take conscious effort on your part and will require correction when you catch yourself regressing to how you are used to thinking. But don’t let those negative statements go unchecked. Reword them in a way you would speak to your best friend should he/she be in the same situation or made the same mistake you made. Your thoughts directly drive your feelings. Be conscious of your thoughts, and use self-talk that leads to a better, healthier view of yourself!