Definition of self-talk
: talk or thoughts directed at oneself
As we push through the pain during a race, it's natural to talk to ourselves. It's also natural to have an unpleasant conversation. Studies show that both negative and positive self-talk influence performance—you can guess which works best. — Bicycling … let's say a student said, "I'm having trouble learning these new techniques." The first thing I would do is probe into his self-talk. He's probably thinking, "I shouldn't be having so much trouble."— Thomas J. Nardi, Ph.D. Neil Fiore, a motivational speaker … says the road to timely tax filing can be reached with a little positive self-talk.— Kris Frieswick
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Merriam-Webster unabridged
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Time Traveler for self-talk
The first known use of self-talk was in 1737
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