Marshall Rosenberg, author of the bestselling book Nonviolent Communication, stressed the importance of using sympathetic rather than judgmental language when we talk to ourselves. He argued that to be at peace with ourselves, we should reframe our inner dialogues so that they express empathy for our basic human needs. Rosenberg’s suggested method for doing so involves asking four simple questions: What am I observing? What am I feeling? What am I needing right now? Do I have a request of myself or someone else?
