Today I have something really quick and effective for you – the simplest, most impactful tool you can use to stop mental chatter cold.

You know what I’m talking about – that negative little voice in your head that tells you you’re not smart enough, thin enough, pretty enough, productive enough, successful enough, or anything else enough.

Arianna Huffington calls it “the obnoxious roommate in your head,” and I couldn’t put it better myself. It’s your ego. The part of you that loves to pipe up and tell you about all your failings and inadequacies.

Everyone deals with some form of mental chatter, and it used to plague me daily. I’ve made leaps and bounds, but I’m human and it still comes up.

In a session with one of my mentors last week, I had a realization:

“It’s ok to take a break from these thoughts.”

That is, the mental chatter. Simple. Take a break. You can come back to it if you really want to. But you don’t want to. It feels SO good to release these thoughts – taking breaks will become addictive.

For me, it’s a mind-blowingly simple phrase that has totally changed my mindset and my life.

When I simply give myself permission to take a break from mental chatter, I feel instant relief and can literally feel my brain physically relaxing, leaving room for ideas and reflections to manifest, not self-deprecating chit-chat.

Next time you hear that negative voice creep up, try this phrase. Say it to yourself mentally, or if you’re by yourself, try saying it out loud:

“It’s ok to take a break from these thoughts.”

 Now I want to hear from you. Do you experience mental chatter? How do you deal with it? Does this simple tool resonate with you?

I want to hear from you and answer your questions in the comments below.