Be Mindful: Overcoming negative self-talk in 2026
EL PASO, Texas (KVIA)— With the start of a brand new year, chances are you are probably setting new goals and starting new habits. Developing a positive mindset is a great start!
Recently, Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Hollywood actor, former governor of California, and bodybuilder, set out a mental challenge for his followers.
Schwarzenegger's Crash Diet is for the brain, not the body! He said negativity is a mood killer.
He encouraged his fans to give up doom-scrolling, where you spend an excessive amount of time consuming media. He recommended only checking social media for 10 minutes each day.
He also wants everyone to reframe their negativity into a map forward.
Finally, he said everyone should practice self-gratitude. Schwarzenegger encouraged everyone to write one thing down they are grateful for. He said challenges, obstacles, and disasters will only make you stronger!
Kristen Weindorf, the Director of the Crisis Intervention Team at EHN in El Paso, said negative words can significantly affect your confidence, make you become isolated, and lead to long-term effects like depression.
"So it's very easy to compare yourself to others. And remember that not everything that you see on social media is really true or accurate,” she said.
Instead, she recommends writing down self-affirmations and leaving them somewhere you’ll see them frequently.
"Reading them every day before you go to work, before you get ready. You're going to use the bathroom. The shower. That way you keep reading it and reading it, and you start believing it."
She also suggested finding positive skills and being honest with yourself!
"When you're feeling a certain type of way, especially if you're having that negative self-talk, ‘Why am I having this? Like, what made me have that thought about myself right now?’ And really questioning that so that you can understand where that's coming from. If you're able to figure that out, that might be something that you could potentially work on in therapy or talk to somebody else about and see if they can help you figure out why you're feeling that way."
For mental health resources, click here.
