“I can’t do that.” “It’s too hard.” “I’m fat.”
As women, negative self-talk is all too common. Belittling and shaming ourselves seems to be an unfortunate and common part of being a woman in our society. This negativity can influence every aspect of our lives without us really realizing it. These default negative phrases can restrain us within ourselves, our relationships, our bodies, and our worth.
And with “casual negativity” becoming the new vernacular, these feelings and limitations have been completely normalized. We are always hooked on the idea that we should be striving for something. We connect with others over our problems and our perceived limitations.
So what can we do? How can we break free from a seemingly endless cycle of negativity?
We can start by joining WANT.
WANT, or Women Against Negative Talk, aims to “give women tools, resources, motivation, and inspiration to crush their negative talk patterns and move forward into an empowered, self-actualized life that’s all their own”. The creators of WANT realized that there were zero outlets that provided women with genuine role models while also presenting the proper tools and resources to try to shift and/or eliminate harmful self-talk.
WANT understands that trending, positive affirmations are not enough. WANT acts as a safe and inclusive hub for individuals to gather and envision what an empowering and positive lifestyle can look like for each of them.
The WANT website offers an extensive blog on different topics — love, work, body, and community — hitting all of the major stops on the list of common things we feel negative about. WANT also offers an e-mail newsletter, delivering positivity and empowering wisdom to your inbox.
So, if you’ve been feeling down about yourself, your relationships, or life lately, check out WANT. Join the community like I have. Let’s continue working together to combat negativity not only in the media, but within ourselves as well.
Courtney Harchaoui holds her Master’s degree in Women’s, Gender and Sexuality Studies from the University of Cincinnati. She loves all things feminist + pop culture related.
Very well written and so truthful! I’d love to read more of Courtney’s articles!