self-talk

noun

ˌself-ˈtȯk 

: talk or thoughts directed at oneself

As we push through the pain during a race, it's natural to talk to ourselves. It's also natural to have an unpleasant conversation. Studies show that both negative and positive self-talk influence performance—you can guess which works best.

—Bicycling

… let's say a student said, "I'm having trouble learning these new techniques." The first thing I would do is probe into his self-talk. He's probably thinking, "I shouldn't be having so much trouble."

—Thomas J. Nardi

Neil Fiore, a motivational speaker … says the road to timely tax filing can be reached with a little positive self-talk.

—Kris Frieswick

Examples of self-talk in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

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

Called The Joy Study, the survey found that 73 percent of those surveyed experienced negative self-talk, while 70 percent reported not recognizing negative self-talk while engaging in it. —Noor Lobad, WWD, 12 Sep. 2024

Model healthy self-talk: Avoid self-deprecating comments about appearance and instead model self-confidence and self-acceptance. —Sherri Gordon, Clc, Parents, 29 Nov. 2024

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

Word History

First Known Use

1737, in the meaning defined above