What You Should Know About the Story You’re Telling Yourself

In this episode, Melissa and Nathan discuss how to recognize when we’re telling ourselves stories that probably aren’t true, how to correct them, and where to go from there. We will share a few examples from our own lives, and then give you a couple of tools to help you stay true in the moment in order to have better emotional health.

The Stories We Tell About Ourselves

We all tell ourselves stories about ourselves or about events that happened to us, and sometimes they aren’t true. Pausing to reflect and ask yourself, “what is the story I’m telling myself?” is a way to get curious about yourself and what you’re thinking. It’s tuning in to what’s going on.

What’s the story you’re telling yourself right now? Pay attention to whether it’s generous or not. Are you portrayed in the story as a kind person? Who is the victim in the story and who is the villain? The more we understand and pay attention to the stories that we tell ourselves, the more we can see it happening in others as well.

How to Recognize the Stories You’re Telling Yourself

Always start with yourself.

Ask yourself the question: what is the story I’m telling myself?

Practice with others.

Ask your partner, friend, or co-worker the question: what is the story you’re telling yourself right now? Share with others: the story I’m telling myself is…

Sharing the stories we tell about ourselves levels the playing field. It allows you to stop operating out of stories that aren’t true and to stop manipulating the story, or making yourself either the hero or the victim.

Once you become familiar with the stories you tell about yourself, start to recognize common stories or Shitty First Drafts. We’ll discuss them in our next episode!

What are the Stories You Tell About Yourself?

What are the stories you tell yourself? Connect with me at nathan@leadershipvisionconsulting.com.