Super Grover, a character who provides tips on how to engage in kind and compassionate self-talk, helps Dr. Laurie Santos manage her feelings and perform better. They discuss the impact of self-talk on performance, resilience, and perseverance. They also explore the power of self-compassion and the importance of teaching self-compassion skills to young people.
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Quick takeaways
Using distanced self-talk, talking to ourselves in the second or third person, can help gain psychological distance and tackle challenges with more perspective.
Practicing self-compassion not only benefits individuals but also has a contagious effect, positively influencing our relationships and those around us.
Deep dives
The Power of Self-Talk for Managing Stressful Situations
Self-talk is a powerful way to coach ourselves through stressful situations. It involves using language to reflect on our lives, motivate ourselves, and make sense of our experiences. By using distanced self-talk and talking to ourselves in the second or third person, we can gain psychological distance and tackle challenges with more perspective. Research shows that utilizing self-talk effectively helps regulate emotions, reduces anxiety, and improves performance during difficult tasks.
The Benefits of Self-Compassion and Distance Self-Talk
Self-compassion and distance self-talk can be powerful tools for managing mistakes and tough moments. Self-compassion involves being kind to ourselves, recognizing our shared humanity, and engaging in self-kindness. Using second or third person language in self-talk helps us switch perspective, gain objectivity, and cope more effectively with stress. Studies have shown that adopting a self-compassionate mindset leads to better performance, resilience, relationships, and motivation for self-improvement.
Teaching Self-Compassion to Children
Teaching children self-compassion from a young age can have lasting benefits. By fostering mindfulness, recognizing common humanity, and promoting self-kindness, kids can learn to cope with bullying, improve their learning capabilities, and better face their mistakes. Modeling self-compassion as adults can help young people develop healthier forms of self-talk and improve their overall well-being.
The Contagious Nature of Self-Compassion
Practicing self-compassion not only benefits individuals but also has a contagious effect. When we hear someone else being self-compassionate, it increases the likelihood that our own internal dialogue becomes self-compassionate. This positive impact expands beyond ourselves and can positively influence our relationships and those around us.
It's not always easy being a podcast host. Dr Laurie is stressed, making mistakes and blaming herself. When things go wrong, we're often our own harshest critics. So how can we tame this type of unkind self-talk?
Luckily for Dr Laurie, Super Grover comes to the rescue - with tips on how she can talk to herself in kind and compassionate ways that will help her manage her feelings, perform better, and feel happier.
(Sesame Workshop is a non-profit organization with a mission to help kids grow smarter, stronger, and kinder. The work they do is funded by donations big and small - so if you want to become a part of their important work to improve children’s emotional well-being, then visit: sesameworkshop.org/support-us/)