How to Use self-talk in a Sentence

self-talk

noun
Definition of self-talknext
  • And a lot of that comes from self-talk and the awareness of our bodies.
    — Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 27 Oct. 2023
  • The Cancer Full Moon asks you to be gentle and nurturing in your self-talk.
    — Colin Bedell, Them, 9 Jan. 2025
  • No time for negative self-talk, no time for getting in one’s own way.
    — Dom Amore, Hartford Courant, 30 May 2024
  • Listen to a podcast about the power of positive self-talk, which is so good.
    — R29 Team, refinery29.com, 14 June 2024
  • If even one of them is inspired to hit pause on the negative self-talk for even a day because of Bertinelli's posts, what a gift!
    — Elizabeth Logan, Glamour, 7 Dec. 2024
  • Here are a few tips from the clinic that can help keep your approach to life upbeat: Catch your own negative self-talk and thinking.
    — Erin Prater, Fortune Well, 13 Apr. 2023
  • Not a physical one, of course, but for her constant negative self-talk.
    — Jess Joho, Los Angeles Times, 5 Sep. 2023
  • Her positive self-talk encourages not only her, but those around her to achieve great things.
    — Marcus Reichley, The Arizona Republic, 27 May 2024
  • If anxiety is fire, then negative self-talk is the fuel.
    — Mary K. Tatum, Ms, Verywell Health, 14 July 2023
  • Now, experts consider self-talk to be one of the most effective tools to deal with worry and anxiety.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 13 Aug. 2023
  • Practice positive self-talk, and celebrate the small wins.
    — Victoria Uwumarogie, Essence, 20 Sep. 2023
  • Here’s how to combat the imposter syndrome and negative self-talk that often comes with a career pivot.
    — Aditi Shrikant, CNBC, 29 Oct. 2024
  • There are a variety of strategies therapists use to help clients challenge negative self-talk and let go of regrets.
    — Jenna Ryu, SELF, 2 Jan. 2024
  • Using distanced self-talk is just one way to prepare yourself for a challenge or stop negative thinking, Kross says.
    — Megan Sauer, CNBC, 2 Aug. 2024
  • But that doesn’t necessarily rid some Jewish women of the negative self-talk fueled by the Bellas, Biebers and Barbies of the world.
    — Channing Smith, Glamour, 23 Aug. 2023
  • Rather than say something positive, my self-talk turned negative.
    — Matt Pyzdrowski, The Athletic, 10 Aug. 2024
  • Learn to catch your negative self-talk and rephrase it to be positive, realistic, and concise.
    — Kevin Kruse, Forbes, 20 Sep. 2024
  • Whether in a journal, on sticky notes around the house, or simply in your mind, repeating positive affirmations about your body and self-worth may work to combat the effects of negative self-talk.
    — Laura Dorwart, Verywell Health, 24 Sep. 2024
  • Replace mandatory self-talk such as have to or must with empowering words such as get to or want to in order to enhance the chances of getting unstuck from the procrastination.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 7 May 2023
  • Because of that, people can end up practicing negative self-talk, which develops as a lack of motivation and self-worth.
    — Kiara Byrd, Essence, 22 Aug. 2023
  • Predictive processing offers a new way of understanding the science of self-talk.
    — Alex Hutchinson, Outside Online, 26 June 2024
  • Doing so might also protect you from negative self-talk and criticism from others.
    — Sherri Gordon, Health, 14 Sep. 2024
  • Challenge negative self-talk and replace it with positive and affirming thoughts.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes, 13 Nov. 2023
  • What are your go-to practices for keeping perfectionism, negative self-talk, and other damaging elements of the psyche in check?
    — Jayme Moye, Outside Online, 22 Oct. 2024
  • There are a number of tools athletes — and their coaches — can use to develop mental resilience such as self-talk, imagery, visualization and mindfulness, experts say.
    — Sandee Lamotte, CNN, 30 July 2024
  • In those high-adrenaline moments, elite athletes also do a lot of positive self-talk, which might include cue words or positive affirmations that trigger a sense of confidence and strength, or take the pressure off.
    — Keren Landman, Vox, 27 July 2024
  • But internally, there’s a lot of negative self-talk or destructive behaviors.
    — Stepfanie Aguilar, Outside Online, 1 Mar. 2023
  • Another thing is to work on rebuilding trust with yourself by believing in yourself, interrupting negative self-talk and self-doubt, and making decisions on your own, Shafir says.
    — Erica Sweeney, Men's Health, 6 Mar. 2023
  • The antidote to such self-doubt lies in the gradual but essential process of consciously changing the tone and vocabulary of your self-talk, and turning it into a primarily neutral, if not positive, inner voice.
    — Mark Travers, Forbes, 26 Nov. 2024
  • Oppressive self-talk—such as should, must, need-to and have-to—triggers oppositional feelings and reduces goal motivation, driving our actions accordingly.
    — Bryan Robinson, Forbes, 1 Jan. 2025

Some of these examples are programmatically compiled from various online sources to illustrate current usage of the word 'self-talk.' Any opinions expressed in the examples do not represent those of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback about these examples.

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