Do you have this constant yammering in your head telling you that you can’t do something, that you’re so dumb you’ll screw this up? Does this toxic inner voice tell you you’re just not smart enough?
I’ve named this energy-draining voice girly thoughts. Yes, it’s a miserable name for a terrible feeling we have been conditioned to inflict on ourselves. Why girly? Because we are still unconsciously laboring under the prejudice that for women to be attractive and desirable, they can’t be many things—including smart!
Your girly thoughts might sound smart . . .
Your girly thoughts may quote scientific evidence to support their claims of your stupidity. For example, your girly thoughts will even cite your IQ score as evidence of the lack of your ability.
IQ Scores Aren’t Absolute
Your girly thoughts don’t know that the only thing IQ scores really predict is how well you will do in school. Yes, that is what all the IQ hype amounts to, even if it is buried in the fine print. But there’s even some argument about this conclusion, because if you took the test after a sleepless night due to your parents’ arguing, or if you were just coming down from being high, or if you were terribly anxious because you feared this IQ test would somehow reveal your future, you probably had a depressed score.
Want to read more about what IQ scores really are? http://www.wsj.com/articles/smarter-every-year-mystery-of-the-rising-iqs-1432737750.
Want to knock back those toxic girly thoughts? Quote this blog to that know-it-all girly thoughts voice in your head.
Remember, you’ll find more ideas for getting rid of your negative self-talk in my latest book, The Girly Thoughts 10-Day Detox Plan: The Resilient Woman’s Guide to Saying NO to Negative Self-Talk and YES to Personal Power.
Patricia A. O'Gorman, Ph.D., is a psychologist in private practice. She is noted for her work on women, trauma, and substance abuse and for her warm, inspiring, and amusing presentations that make complex issues accessible and even fun. She has served as a consultant to organizations across the country in preventative and clinical strategic planning. Dr. O'Gorman is a cofounder of the National Association for Children of Alcoholics, and she has held positions ranging from director of a rape crisis center to clinical director of a child welfare agency, and director of the division of prevention for the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA). She is a veteran of numerous television appearances, including Good Morning America, Today, and AM Sunday and is the author of eight books including: The Girly Thoughts 10 Day Detox Plan (2014), The Resilient Woman: Mastering the 7 Steps to Personal Power (2013), and Healing Trauma Through Self-Parenting (2012) 12 Steps to Self-Parenting.
