Bolstering self-critical #children who tend to talk themselves down

Writer: Katherine Martinelli

What You'll Learn

- Why might #kids say bad things about themselves?

- What can #parents do to help #kids who are hard on themselves?

- Quick Read

- Full Article

- What is #self-talk?

- Globalized thinking

- Perfectionism

- Too cool for #school

- Attention-seeking

- Lack of resilience

- #Bullying

- When to worry

- What #parents can do to help

All #kids say bad stuff about themselves sometimes. But when their inner voice keeps saying bad things, it can have a negative effect on them.

#Children who expect a lot of themselves may be prone to negative #self-talk. For older #kids, saying things like, “I’m so stupid” or, “I’m so fat” can be a way of protecting themselves from social pressure. They may say bad things about themselves before someone else does it. And #kids who are being bullied may start to believe the bad things other #kids say about them and start saying them too.

While some #kids may do this as a way of getting attention, others do it because they’re not good at bouncing back when something bad happens. They also might not want to try new or hard things.

#Parents should take negative #self-talk seriously when it starts to happen a lot and causes problems with #school or friends. Also watch out if your #child stops eating or sleeping well or complains about feeling sick a lot and doesn’t want to go to #school. This could mean your #child is depressed.

#Parents can help. Really listen to your #child and show that you care how they feel. Try not to be overly cheery when they share a concern. When you catch yourself being negative, correct yourself. For example, if you burn something and blurt out, “I’m a terrible cook,” correct that. Say, “Actually I’m a pretty good cook. Everyone makes mistakes.” Check in with your child’s #teachers, too.

If your #child keeps saying bad things about themselves, seems to be depressed or has other changes in their #behavior, it makes sense to talk to #mentalhealthprofessional.

We hear #kids say negative things about themselves all the time: “I’m so stupid!” “Nobody likes me.” And, of course, “I’m fat.” Or “I’m ugly.” Sometimes these things are throwaway lines, or fishing for reassurance. They may be harmless. But what experts call negative #self-talk can also reflect an unhealthy tendency in #kids to think the worst of themselves, and that can lead to—or be a sign of—something more serious.

What is #self-talk?

#Self-talk is essentially our inner monologue, explains Rachel Busman, PsyD, a clinical #psychologist.  It can be a way of narrating what is happening around you, practicing language, and guiding yourself through a task.

While #self-talk is often constructive, it can also go the other way. We all engage in self-critical #behavior from time to time, and it isn’t an immediate cause for concern. But it’s useful to think about why your #child might be talking themselves down, and when it might reflect a problem.

Globalized thinking

#Kids often make statements about themselves that reflect “all or none thinking,” explains Lisa Brown, PsyD, a private practitioner and #psychologist at the Rodeph Sholom Day #School in New York. For example, when a #child doesn’t do well in one soccer game and exclaims, “I stink at soccer!” When this kind of globalized thinking persists, she says, it “can affect how #children think and feel about themselves in general.”

Perfectionism

“#Children who set impossibly high standards for themselves,” says Dr. Brown, “are prone to engage in negative #self-talk.” These perfectionists can be so hard on themselves that they run themselves down trying to reach their goals.

Too cool for #school

Sometimes the self-deprecating “I’m so going to fail that test!” or “I’m so fat!” can be a form of social protection. For older #kids in particular, “the social sphere becomes really important,” says Dr. Busman. In certain social circles it may not be cool to be smart, and obsessing over appearances may be a way to fit in with the popular #kids. Or maybe the #child is trying to beat others to the punch by making negative statements first.

Attention-seeking

“Sometimes,” says Dr. Brown, “#children may engage in negative #self-talk, verbalized out loud, in an attempt to manipulate others or in an effort to get attention.” For example a #child may try to guilt #parents by talking about what a horrible #child they are and how they deserve to be punished.

Lack of resilience

In some cases, self-critical thought can be an indication of lack of resilience or “grit,” as some #psychologists refer to it. “If #children regularly respond to disappointments with negative #self-talk that is out of proportion to the particular disappointments,” says Dr. Brown, “this can lead to avoiding certain experiences as well as a lack of motivation to persevere in the face of difficulties.”

#Bullying

If a #child is being picked on, it can be easy for them to internalize the insults aimed at them. Shawna Palomo, mom to a 17-year-old daughter, says her daughter’s negative #self-talk emerged when she was 13. “They made fun of her,” recalls Palomo. “After a while, she would believe all the bad stuff her classmates were saying about her. She would always say how ugly she was.” Her daughter complained that her lips and nose were too big, her hair too curly. “It’s hard watching your #child battle these demons,” laments Palomo.

When to worry

In #isolation, negative #self-talk is natural and not cause for concern. But it can also be evidence of low #self-esteem, a #learningdisability, #anxiety, or #depression. Dr. Busman offers these signs to look out for:

- The negative self-talk is persistent and pervasive.

- It is not based in reality. For example, your son gets invited to play dates but still frets that no one likes him, or he always aces spelling tests but remains anxious that he will fail.

- It is impacting a child’s relationships or schoolwork.

- Your child’s eating and/or sleeping patterns have changed.

- They’re making persistent, vague “I don’t feel well” statements in the absence of physical symptoms.

Palomo noticed many of these signs in her daughter as the negative self-talk led to #depression. “She would not care about her appearance, then it went to the extreme where her appearance was all she cared about.” She didn’t do her homework, lost weight, and wanted to stay in bed all day.

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What #parents can do to help

Here are some ways to free #children from negative thinking and steer them away from destructive #self-talk:

Listen and validate. It can be tempting to ignore it when a #kid first expresses negative feelings, but Dr. Busman says she “would recommend never just brushing off those kinds of comments, even if they’re kind of silly or not based in any reality.” Instead, offer a safe place for your #child to come with concerns and try to find out what is going on.

Offer a realistic approach. Both Dr. Busman and Dr. Brown advise against battling critical #self-talk with overly optimistic “positive thinking,” and recommend a more realistic approach. So if a #child says they’re sure no one will talk to them on their first day at a new #school, you don’t want to say, “The first day of #school is going to be great and you’re going to make a million friends.” Instead, you might offer: “The first day of #school might be a bit scary, but as you settle in you will likely make friends and grow to love it.”

Put it in context. Dr. Brown notes that #adults can help by talking with #kids in a way that “contextualizes their experience” and offers a “broader perspective.” Help them identify specifically what upset them, she explains, or made them make such a self-critical statement, and acknowledge that one bad experience doesn’t equate being the worst at something.

Model realistic and positive self-talk. Try to stop saying self-critical things about yourself, too. Don’t fixate on mistakes you’ve made, or worry out loud about your weight. We want to model positive #selfesteem for our #children. Dr. Busman also suggests offering stories from your own life to relate to your #child. “Whether it’s an embellished example or entirely factual,” she says, “you’re modeling non-anxious coping and more realistic #self-talk.”

Correct the record. Dr. Brown also notes catching yourself in the midst of making a negative statement can create a valuable teachable moment. Say you burn something and yell in frustration, “I’m a terrible cook!” Continue the conversation in front of your #child with something like “actually, I’m a pretty good cook most of the time, I just messed up this dish but I’m not going to let that stop me from cooking in the future.”

Touch base with #school. If your #child is in #school, check in with their #teachers about what you’re hearing. Getting their perspective can help you see a more complete picture. Dr. Busman notes that this kind of information can also be useful later should you end up having a professional evaluation.

Seek professional help. If the behavior is persistent and negatively impacting your child’s life, or if it’s linked to other troubling shifts in mood and #behavior it might be time to obtain a diagnostic evaluation to help determine what is causing the problem. Dr. Busman calls this a “#mentalhealth check-up,” and it can help pinpoint what is going on and how it can be treated.

This article was last reviewed or updated on August 3, 2022.

Katherine Martinelli

Katherine Martinelli is a journalist who has published internationally on a variety of topics including parenting, food, travel and education. … Read Bio
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