Avoid Negative Thinking; Choose to be Positive
Negative self-talk is a destructive habit and part of an
essential defense mechanism that we often develop to protect ourselves.
Many people end up talking themselves out of actions that may be scary
or uncomfortable. "I can't do this" is really just a way of
saying "I don't want to deal with the experience of doing this."
We are all strongly influenced by our feelings, often determining how
and what action we ultimately take. If the feeling is uncomfortable,
negative self-talk results; then we often decide not to take any action
at all.
Many people assume that if a past experience produced a
certain result, there is nothing they can do to change that experience
in order to produce a different result. "I've tried every diet
there is. I know what I should do; I just can't do it."
Please understand that you can make the choice not to repeat
old patterns of eating, non-exercise, and negative thinking. You have
the ability to choose the emotions you have. If you don't like feeling
guilty, frustrated, or doubtful, you can choose not to. You, and no
one else, must decide what is comfortable for you. In order to become
successful at making healthy choices, you must avoid negative self-talk
and start practicing positive thinking.
Positive or negative self-talk plays a big part in your
decisions. Be on the "look-out for negative self-talk and notice
how it influences your choices; notice how it can negatively affect
your efforts to change. For example, perhaps you've just returned from
a week's vacation where you took a break from exercise and low-fat eating.
You tell yourself, "I feel so fat. I'm back where I started."
You feel guilty and frustrated. "I don't have enough will-power
to start all over again. Maybe I'm just meant to be overweight."
Feeling overwhelmed and discouraged, you give up.
First, reflect on the feelings you had before you decided
to give up. You basically told yourself that the healthy habits you
learned before your vacation were all for nothing and that you have
to start over. Ask yourself if these feelings are reasonable. Are you
really back to ground zero? Of course not. You accepted change and developed
a new way of living; these skills are yours forever. The vacation might
even have done you some good: everyone needs a break sometimes. Otherwise,
you might have felt deprived and not really enjoyed yourself. It's time
now to tell yourself: "It felt good eating whatever I wanted and
taking a break from exercising; I had a great time. But now I'm going
to focus back on the low-fat, active lifestyle I was enjoying before
vacation. There is no reason to beat myself up; I'll just take it one
day at a time." Now you can rethink your previous decision and
take action that will move you forward towards more positive change.
As you begin to understand your reasons for negative self-talk,
you'll findyourself recognizing it more and more quickly after it occurs.
Eventually, as you practice, you'll be able to recognize and stop negative
self-talk before it interferes with your decisions.
It is very important to practice positive thinking and
to remind yourself that you're a worthwhile person whatever you do.
Try to consistently acknowledge that you are making positive changes
to improve your health. You should be proud of yourself. Visualize yourself
as capable, happy, and confident. These positive feelings will help
the process of change. Remember, there are bound to be times when you're
feeling frustrated or depressed. Positive thinkers know that these feelings
are valid, and they don't try to ignore them. Positive thinkers acknowledge
and try to understand them, but they don't blame themselves for the
conditions that lead to these feelings. Good luck, stay positive, and
enjoy all the wonderful benefits of a healthy lifestyle!
This article was provided by GHF.
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