Have you ever gotten a bad grade and immediately thought, “I’m just not good enough?” Or scrolled through your social media feed comparing yourself to others? Maybe your friends excluded you and your first thought was, “I don’t belong here”.

Those comments in your head are known as negative self-talk, inner dialogue where someone portrays themselves in a critical manner automatically and unfairly.

“Negative self-talk is the story we tell ourselves that limits our belief in who we are and what we’re capable of becoming. It is not facts,” school counselor, Ashley Miranda, said.

The pattern of negative self-talk varies throughout all ages, however teenagers are especially vulnerable to it. Most high school students are overwhelmed with activities, causing them to feel so many emotions at once. Between academics, sports, social stature and social media, there is an unbelievable amount of room for comparison. These coming of age years are filled with moments of finding their identity. When they don’t have all the answers, it leads to insecurity and toxic comments towards themselves.

“Teenagers are still in their developmental stage of life, so any negative outside comments from others, we internalize them a lot more,” sophomore Sophia Flaccavento said.

There are short term and long term effects of negative self-talk. Short term, high schoolers can experience anxiety during tests and not want to participate in school events or activities. In the long term, it can lower confidence and hold people back from trying new things.

The good news is, there are ways to combat negative self-talk. According to Colombia Mental Health, some of the ways you can prevent this include: surrounding yourself with other positive people, speaking to yourself with compassion and letting go of perfectionism.

There are many ways of speaking to yourself positively. Sayings like “one test does not define my worth” or “every experience can teach me something,” are ways to have a more uplifting mindset. Repetitively bringing yourself up can cause you to turn your mindset around.

If negative self-talk becomes overwhelming or leads to thoughts of self-harm, support is available 24/7 by calling or texting 988, the Suicide & Crisis Lifeline, which will connect you with a trained counselor.