Are You Talking Yourself Into Misery?

Feel free to reprint this article in its entirety
in your ezine or on your site so long as you leave
all links in place, do not modify the content and
include our resource box. If you do use an article
please send us a note so we can take a look.

Title: Are You Talking Yourself Into Misery?

Author: Chris Green

(c) Chris Green - All Rights reserved
http://www.conqueringstress.com>

Author Email: webmaster@conqueringstress.com

Url: http://www.conqueringstress.com>

====== START OF ARTICLE ============

Stress. Depression. Anxiety. They’re powerful words that
conjure up all kinds of images and prejudices in our minds.
People who suffer from these illnesses find it hard to cope
with life. They can feel deeply unhappy, they can find no
joy in anything life has to offer, and of course, their
levels of self-esteem, confidence and self-respect plummet.

But how can this happen to someone?

Let’s concentrate on how these illnesses affect the way we
value the self. Of all of the destructive patterns of
behavior these illnesses cause, the way a sufferer talks to
the self is the fuel that maintains their illness.

I have experienced depression from two sides. For 5 years, a
series of traumatic events triggered a personal nightmare I
believed would never end. One of these events came when my
lover was diagnosed with depression. At this time, I too had
entered into the spiral of anxiety-induced depression. Both
of these experiences have given me an insight into how
sufferers destroy any value of the self.

Let me give a couple of examples. With my partner, if I’d
arranged an evening out with friends, she’d say:

"No, I won’t come, you go without me. I never have anything
interesting to say. I just bore people. They’ll find me an
effort to be with. I’ll stay here."

If I made a mistake, I’d say to myself:
"I’m useless. I’m no good at anything. Everything I do I get
wrong."

This self-deprecation then spreads into other areas of life.
You begin to criticize the way you look, the decisions you
make or don’t make, and you focus solely on the downside of
life. Each time a little bit of self-worth, a little bit of
self-respect and a little bit of self-confidence are eroded.
Eventually, they are lost completely. When I reached my
lowest point, having lost everything and everyone I loved,
I’d say to myself:

"If I died tomorrow, no one would know and no one would
care."

So, what helped me to come out of the fog?

Well, the reason I thought I’d become depressed was because
of a series of traumatic events occurring at the same time.
I was wrong. The root cause of my depression lay in the ways
I reacted to them. One of the ways I’d reacted was to blame
myself for events I couldn’t control. The more I blamed
myself, the more I beat myself up. The more I beat myself
up, the more my self-esteem decreased.

The phrases I have used to briefly illustrate self-
deprecating phrases we continually use against the self are
mild. I’m sure you realize that many people use much
stronger phrases than I’ve given here. The point is that
these phrases would be totally unacceptable to say to
others. You wouldn’t tell a person that they were boring, an
effort to be with and that everyone found their company dull
and it would be better for everyone else if they kept away
from people.

Agreed?

Yet, if I say to people:

"Pay yourself compliments. Accentuate your good in all areas
of your life. Write down your good points, your triumphs,
your achievements. Remind yourself as often as possible
about all the good you have done."

They look at me like I’m an alien and say they’d feel
stupid. Or uncomfortable. Or even embarrassed.

Yet they don’t feel any of these emotions when they talk to
themselves using emotionally charged, self-deprecating
phrases! And like rust upon metal, these phrases gradually
erode our self-esteem and our confidence.

OK, here’s the bottom-line. I’d like you to inscribe what
you are about to read into your mind over and over again
until it is permanently etched there:

It is NEVER acceptable to talk to myself in a way I know is
inappropriate and even offensive if I spoke in the same way
to others.

Time for me to sign off, but before I do, here’s a phrase I
say to myself every single day without fail. Please use it,
it is very powerful:

"If you put yourself down, down is where you will stay."

Resource Box: Chris Green is the author of an amazing new
book that will show you how to beat stress, depression or
anxiety, quickly, naturally and permanently. No drugs!
Click Here for more info =>http://www.conqueringstress.com>

=== END OF ARTICLE ===

(Please note: this information is placed on the forum "as is", with no actual recommendation made from this forum)