Wyoming, Knock It Off: Stop Talking Trash About Yourself

There is a very bad habit that a lot of people have these days, and although it's a little thing, it can end up causing serious issues with your health, both physically physically and mentally.

Have you ever spoken negatively to yourself?

About a week ago, I was working away in my office and had my 12-year-old son with me. At the time, he was playing some game on his smart phone and not really paying much attention to me, which is common at my workplace, but while I was typing away on my desktop, I made a keystroke error and without even thinking about it, I said aloud: "way to go, dummy". My child of course thought at first that I was referring to him. After I cleared up that I was talking about myself, he said: "you're not dumb, father, and that's not a good way to talk to yourself".

I explained to him that I didn't really mean it, it was just something I say whenever I make a mistake, but then it occurred to me that I recently read something about negative side effects of doing that.

The Toxic Effects of Negative Self-Talk

According to mental wellness website, verywellmind, from a study conducted in October 2025, it stated:

Negative self-talk refers to your inner voice making critical, negative, or punishing comments. These are the pessimistic, mean-spirited, or unfairly critical thoughts that go through your head when you are making judgements about yourself.

Further in the study, Dr. Elizabeth Scott (PhD) states:

Negative self-talk is something that most of us experience from time to time, and it comes in many forms. It also creates significant stress, not only for us but for those around us if we're not careful. Here's what you need to know about negative self-talk and its effects on your body, mind, life, and loved ones.

Three key takeaways include:

• Negative self-talk can make you feel stressed, sad, and even lead to mental health problems like depression.
• Changing harsh thoughts to more gentle ones can help reduce their negative power.
• Treat yourself kindly, like you would a friend, to change negative thoughts into positive ones.

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There are many things you can do to keep your attitude positive, but if this is something you can't do alone, don't be afraid to seek professional help. Wyomingites have long been known to have the "Cowboy Up" attitude. Just know, it's is totally okay to get all the help you need to keep your mental health intact.