160 Negative Self-Talk Examples That Could Hold You Back in Life | Leave a comment

Do you find yourself thinking thoughts you would never say to a friend?

Does your inner critic say things that make you doubt yourself, your abilities, and your future?

Negative self-talk like this is a lot more common than you think, and it can have a quietly profound effect on your confidence, relationships, and happiness.

When you experience self-doubt, it has a way of making you feel that those thoughts are facts. They are not! They are thought habits and can be rewired.

You are not alone in your struggles.

Many people struggle with self-criticism and unkind inner dialogue every single day.

The great news is that recognizing negative self-talk is the first step toward a positive mindset, increased self-confidence, and improved mental health!

Why Is It Important to Learn About Negative-Self Talk?

Negative self-talk doesn’t just make us feel bad in the moment; it can hold us back from achieving personal growth, sabotage our emotional wellness, and limit our own potential in every facet of living.

When you consciously take a moment to recognize and challenge your thoughts, you start to re-wire your thinking, build self-confidence, and ultimately make choices that are in alignment with your goals and your happiness.

If you are able to identify the voice of your inner critic, then you have the ability to choose a different, kinder, more supportive way of thinking, that can ultimately support your relationships, your success, and your overall well-being.

General Negative Self-Talk Examples

1. No matter what I do, I always find a way to mess it up.
2. Whenever I look in the mirror, I only see my flaws; I don’t think I will ever be comfortable in my own skin.
3. I can’t ever seem to catch a break—everyone else seems to be successful at whatever they do, but it never seems to work out for me.
4. No matter how hard I try, I never get my best.
5. I’m just average; and average isn’t special.
6. I’m unlucky—good things don’t happen for people like me.
7. I don’t have the discipline to follow through with any goals.
8. I will never really be happy, because something always goes wrong.
9. I’m a negative person. It’s just the way I am.
10. I’m not brave enough to venture out and try new things.
11. I’m just too scared to stand up for myself.
12. I always expect the worst, and ruin moments of joy with what ifs.
13. I am not practical; I just dream about things.
14. I’m not realistic; I always dream about everything and I am too idealistic and set myself up for disappointment.
15. I can’t trust myself to make decisions—I just make the wrong decision every time.
16. I’m just impulsive; I keep regretting my choices after I have made a decision.
17. I am irresponsible; there is no accountability to me.
18. I am untrustworthy—I always let people down.
19. I’m selfish; everything is about me.
20. I can’t be patient enough to be critical in hard situations.

Negative Self-Talk Examples About Body Image and Health

21. I’m never going to lose this weight, no matter what kind of diets I go on.
22. I’m too fat—too fat to wear what I want and feel good.
23. I’m too thin and I know people think I look unhealthy.
24. I don’t dress well; I always feel fat when I know I have to talk to people.
25. I am not athletic; so why do I play any sport?
26. I move pretty slowly. I wonder how furious the people waiting on me are.
27. I’m always tired because I’m out of shape.
28. I’m just not made to be healthy—it’s not in my genes.
29. I can’t commit to an exercise routine—I always give up.
30. I don’t have the willpower to eat healthy foods.
31. My body is embarrassing so I don’t leave the house.
32. I look older than I am because I don’t take care of myself.
33. People must be judging me by how I look.
34. I will never be as good looking as them.
35. I am not photogenic; I despise taking pictures.
36. I am too clumsy to try new things.
37. I am not coordinated; I shouldn’t take group classes.
38. I am too slow to keep up with other people.
39. I will never be happy with my reflection no matter what I do.
40. I am weak and can’t make any changes.

Negative Self-Talk Examples in Work & School

41. My ideas aren’t worth sharing at work; everyone will ignore me.
42. Every time I screw up is just another reminder that I am a failure.
43. I am always the one that screws up group projects or is a liability to the team.
44. If I share my opinion, everyone will see how little I know.
45. I am not respected by my colleagues at work.
46. I am not a leader—I don’t have it in me.
47. I am too much of a follower and never assert myself.
48. I am not assertive, and my needs get neglected.
49. I am too passive and people walk over me.
50. I am not brave enough to confront the fear at work.
51. I am not creative; I have no original ideas.
52. I’m not as intelligent or capable as the people around me.
53. I am always behind on my assignments, and I will never be able to catch up.
54. I am not organized enough to manage my obligations.
55. I am unable to keep my routines to build any good habits at work.
56. I do not have enough motivation for long enough periods of time to achieve my career ambitions.
57. I get too anxious to present or speak at meetings.
58. I am never going to get promoted, I do not stand out.
59. I have too little experience; I will never be hired.
60. I do not have enough education to get a better job.
61. I am horrible with my money and budgeting; I will never be financially secure.
62. I am bad with technology; I will struggle in the modern working world.
63. I am too slow to learn new skills.
64. I am not detail-oriented and make too many mistakes.
65. I am not ambitious enough to advance and grow my career.
66. I am not a team player, I want to make it about me.
67. I am always late, I’m not reliable at all.
68. I am too anxious to ask for advice or input.
69. I do not have enough confidence to negotiate a fair offer that represents my value.
70. I am not meant to be a leader.

Negative Self-Talk in Relationships

71. Why would anyone even want to be my friend? I’m a loser.
72. I am always the one who is a problem in the relationship.
73. I am a burden to my family and friends; everyone would be better off if I was not here.
74. No one actually likes me; they are just pretending to.
75. I am too sensitive; other people seem to take criticism so much better than me.
76. I will never find love; I’m too broken.
77. I am not even lovable; people give up on me.
78. I am always second, never first.
79. I never follow through on my ambitions.
80. I’m always waiting for the right moment.
81. I lack the confidence to try anything new.
82. I don’t have enough time in the day to accomplish things.
83. It doesn’t make any sense to even bother trying.
84. I’m not really motivated to reach my goals.
85. I cannot stand the thought of failing at something.
86. I used to have dreams, but now I’m fine with just getting by.
87. I don’t know how to get started, so I won’t bother trying to find out.
88. I feel too old to try something new.
89. I’m not sure what I want to do next, so I’ll just hang out.
90. I’m too set in my ways to change things.
91. There is just too much to do, and I only want to do few things.
92. I get overwhelmed by all the possibilities I see ahead of me.
93. By the time I get started, my ideas will be out of date or too late.
94. I have given up on my dreams, and I won’t allow myself the hope of ever getting them back.
95. I have no idea what I would do with my life.
96. I will get it done this time, but then it will be over and done with, as usual.
97. I will have to get started this week (or next week)…
98. I always get distracted, and never get back on track…
99. I’ll work on it next week…
100. I have this planned out in my head, but when it comes time to take action, I find an excuse not to do it.
101. I feel too anxious to figure out how to do things, or too confused to know where to find things…
102. What does it matter if I don’t do my first plan?
103. One or two small tasks seem impossible to do when they don’t have to be done.
104. I don’t want to waste the little time I’d have to try a new opportunity.
105. Excuses, excuses, excuses… I simply can’t win. Some people can win, but I’m definitely not one of those people.
106. Even when I win by accident, it is most likely because it happened to be a coincidence.
107. I don’t have any legitimate break.
108. I am not smart, and if I should have done something, I cannot say that I intelligently made decisions.
109. I keep looking at other people and judging how they are ahead of me.
110. I am sure that I don’t deserve to win because I did not do enough.
111. I am just not the type of person that has big dreams. I have small dreams.
112. I am not motivated to go after my dreams.
113. I am not persistent. I quit too much.
114. I am not resourceful. I cannot problem-solve for myself.
115. I am not a risk-taker, so I probably won’t get to do anything great.
116. I am too afraid to fail to try.
117. I am not focused enough to finish what I start.
118. I am too unorganized to have my ship and greatness fit with me.
119. I cannot win in business.
120. I could never be a leader. I’m not one.

Negative Self-Talk Examples About Personal Growth and Emotional Wellness

121. I’m too set in my ways to become better than I am.
122. I’m not even worth investing in myself.
123. I’m not strong enough, emotionally, to walk away from my past.
124. I’m not really resilient. I let setbacks defeat me all the time, even when I made progress.
125. I am far too broken and lacking as a person to ever heal.
126. I am not worthy of forgiveness from myself or others.
127. I will never know what to do to develop a positive mindset.
128. I just don’t grow as a person.
129. I am too imperfect for personal growth to matter to me.
130. I am not capable of building self-confidence.
131. I will never be able to manage my thoughts or get away from my self-doubt.
132. I can’t manage my emotions therefore I will never know normal again.
133. I am not mindful enough to notice my patterns.
134. I am too negative to ever be happy.
135. I am not disciplined enough to care for myself.
136. I am not worthy of emotional wellness.
137. I am never going to manage my mental health.
138. I am not emotionally aware like other people.
139. I cannot change my mindset. That is just who I am.
140. I am not strong enough to ask for help.

Negative Self-Talk Examples Pertaining to Social Life and Belonging

141. I always say the wrong thing in a group situation.
142. I’m not interesting enough for others to want to get to know me.
143. I’m too introverted to make friends.
144. I’m not friendly enough to join a club or participate in an activity.
145. I always feel like a third wheel, even when I am with friends.
146. I have nothing to contribute to a conversation.
147. I’m too awkward to network or socialize with others.
148. I’m just not as fun as others at parties.
149. I’m too anxious to enjoy a social event.
150. I’m not someone people remember; it’s hard for people to recognize me.
151. I’m too quiet to be recognized.
152. I’m not funny enough to keep up with others.
153. I’m too nervous to introduce myself to others.
154. I’m not good at small talk; therefore, I avoid small talk.
155. I am too scared of being rejected to reach out.
156. I’m not a good host; therefore, I don’t ask others over.
157. I’m too shy to be part of group discussions.
158. I’m not confident enough to say what I am thinking.
159. I’m too boring, so no one wants to hang out with me.
160. I’m not worthy of friendship.

Final Words About Negative Self-Talk

Negative self-talk creeps in and affects every aspect of your life: your self-confidence and relationships, success and emotional wellness. The good news? Just being aware of these patterns is the first and maybe I should say, the most important, step in the right direction.

By paying attention to the nuance of the inner critic and how it talks to you, you can start to challenge those internal dialogues and give those thoughts some meaning. Over time, you can even start to change your thought process, gradually build on a positive mindset, and have a healthier, more developed self.

I want you to know that everyone feels self-doubt at some level, but it is up to you to choose a more kind, supportive way of self-talk. As you work on changing your negative self-talk into more kind and supportive ways, you will start to notice that you are able to move boldly and while enjoying yourself.