Practice changing one single negative thought about yourself into a positive thought.
To begin, you might want to choose a negative thought about you that will be easier than others to replace with a single positive thought. Practice thinking the new positive thought about you over and over and over until a change occurs in your thinking. You might notice the negative thought popping up every once in a while. When that happens, don’t resist it. Instead make practice a fun experience.
For example, you could talk to the negative thought by saying something like, “Busted. I caught you. You’re afraid of losing aren’t you? It’s time for you to go. I won’t even miss you when you’re gone.” Better yet, you could begin to laugh at the old negative thought you are replacing with a new positive one. You might even want to ponder how silly it was to think such a negative thing about yourself. Notice how much fun it is to think something positive about you for a change. That might even feel funny at first. But regardless of how weird it might feel at first, practice until the positive thought about you becomes a new habit.
Can you think of any negative behaviors you’ve engaged in over and over again just to make yourself feel better? Make a list. Can you recognize any of the repetitive negative thoughts you have had about yourself as a result of your habitual negative behaviors? Make a list. Did it ever occur to you that you are very good at resorting to these negative behaviors and thoughts because practice makes better