Stopping the Negative Thoughts
Hello everyone,
My apologies for not sending this letter out on Friday. I've had some computer challenges this past week which I'm hoping are now resolved. I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend & Mother's Day!
-Dr. Doug
STOPPING THE NEGATIVE THOUGHTS
This past week, a number of people reminded me that our negative thinking patterns tend to lead to worse eating patterns, and generally less exercise. The brain is powerful. If we convince ourselves that we are "too tired” then of course that walk never occurs. If we say to ourselves, "I just can't stop my evening snacking,” then we assume that we cannot overcome it.
So, we must learn to STOP THE THOUGHT. Most of the time we cannot stop thinking what we think. Actually, for most of us who overeat, self-flagellation is a reflex reaction. You feel anxious, you eat, and you berate yourself. You call yourself names. You hate yourself. You feel hopeless. You look in the mirror and say "yuck.”
With experience, however, it's possible to learn how to change your thinking. It becomes possible to notice when you have demeaning thoughts about your eating or your body, and once you're aware of such thoughts, you can learn to set them aside. Our negative thoughts seem to have a life of their own. After awhile we simply listen to these ‘voices' and accept them as reality. It's important to get a handle on them because they aren't representative of who we really are.
Simply put, we must stop all negative thoughts, or at least realize that they have no validity. They are developed over a lifetime, probably originating from patterns developed in childhood; feelings of "never measuring up.” Being aware that any negative thoughts sap our energy (and therefore aren't productive) is a start. For example, if you think, "I can't stand the way I look,” you must notice that thought and remind yourself that it won't get you anywhere productive. There's no point to this kind of thinking. It just repeats itself endlessly. So, you could say, "Although I don't like the way I look, I'm trying to come to terms with it...if I keep thinking negatively about myself, I'll feel awful and then I'll need to eat.” If this thought comes back (and It will) put it aside and learn to replace it with a nonjudgmental view.
I wrote an article sometime ago on ‘learned helplessness.' It's through our negative self talk that we believe we cannot change behaviour. We must try to create the habit of thinking: "I can succeed, I am worth it, and I'll keep on trying even though it's hard.”
Before a race, elite athletes learn to force themselves to think positively. Rather than thinking: "This will be tough;” or, " I haven't trained enough;” they force themselves to think things like: "this will be an interesting distance for me to finish;” and, "I've done enough training to get through this... all I can hope is to do the best I can on this day.”
Power thoughts lead us forward. They also help us find solutions. Those negative thoughts sap our energy and usually lead us to do the very thing we were trying to avoid...like "snacking when we weren't hungry.”
So, put those negative thoughts aside. Turn them into less judgemental thoughts. You will feel much more empowered when making food choices. You will also have more energy to get out and be active.
You can do it; just don't ever give up trying!
Dr. Doug