I agree with others that acknowledging the negative self-talk is a first step toward stopping it. Tactics that people have used: 1. Thought stopping. Take an action to disconnect (examples: 1)keep a rubber band around your wrist and snap it to “disconnect” yourself from the negative thought; 2)”remove” yourself from the negative thought by mentally hitting a “re-set” button, or thinking of being in a calming setting or with a person who makes you feel calm and happy.) 2. Recognize where the negative thought came from, challenge it, and replace it with something positive. It might come from a past or current person in your life, or from a difficult past event. I Examples: -This thought comes from when my father/mother/parents used to criticize me for _____. But my life has changed and that criticism is no longer valid. Now I’m _____ (insert positive belief.) -This thought is the voice of the critical teacher who never liked me. But I’ve left that person behind and their voice is no longer helpful to me. I’m replacing that critic with a helpful voice, that says: ______ (insert helpful message.) -This thought comes from my anxiety about ________ (insert difficult event.) But my anxiety isn’t helpful to me anymore. I’m replacing that anxiety with the following positive thoughts: _____ (insert positive thoughts.) 3. After a little practice, it will become easier to automatically replace the negative voice with the positive beliefs. 4. Try “tapping”— accompanies positive thoughts with tapping on specific acupressure points. There are many websites that explain how to do “tapping.” Many people find it beneficial in helping to replace negative thoughts with positive ones.