I get it…The word ‘mindset’ is overplayed and it may make you wanna tune-out.
ya-ya-ya …mindset …blah-dede-blah
It’s kinda touchy feely – not tangible enough – it’s not REALLY going to get you anywhere, is it? So what does it matter?
But here’s the truth…
Your mindset is the MOST important tool you can master if you want to master your weight, health, eating, drinking, money, work, family, love and life.
If you’ve been stuck in the same spot and not getting anywhere…
Or playing that one step forward – two step back cha-cha routine, it’s likely because of your thinking – aka: your mindset.
It’s not your meal prepping strategy, your recipe rotation, your macros, your fasting schedule or your workouts. Diet and lifestyle play a role, but those are external factors.
How you think (your mindset) effects what you DO and your physiology – and this ultimately determines your results…especially if you’re talking about weight loss and health.
Thoughts are a HUGE topic with multiple layers and levels…
Since you have ~60K-70K thoughts per day and most of them are subconscious and negative, it’s no wonder you may be struggling.
Like all humans, you have programming – tapes playing in your head that are physiologically designed to prevent you from deviating from what the brain knows, believes and is familiar with.
This part of your brain equates change with danger and it will send all kinds of signals through your nervous system and neural pathways to “protect you from harm.”
You receive that signal and it’s in THAT moment where, let’s say:
- you’re offered some decadent food
- or an extra drink that you don’t need
- or you have an intense urge or craving…
- or you’d rather binge watch Schitt’s Creek than go for a hike 🙂
THIS IS THE MOMENT that you can choose to either allow your old tape to play on repeat OR you can choose to think and act on a higher level.
It’s always your choice.
You can develop the skill that allows your mind to pause for a moment so that you can connect with your pre-frontal cortex (that’s your higher brain).
It’s in that pause that you would ask yourself:
- What’s my ‘WHY’?
- Will this thought, feeling or action get me to the body, health and life I really want?
- Is it worth it? (Sometimes it is!)
- What’s really “underneath” this thought, feeling or habitual pattern?
^ Mastering this requires that you slow down the tape player so that you can develop an awareness of the thoughts that are on your tapes to begin with…
This skill development uses up mental energy…so it takes intention and effort – and lots of practice – and it also means that you have to accept that no one is perfect with this practice ALL the time …(that’s why I call it practice).
You’re going to, perhaps, miss sometimes – you’re going to allow some of those old tapes or programs to just replay.
That’s ok…
...as long as the consequences don’t cause harm to yourself or others.
Just learn the heck out of those misses and use that energy to fuel you for next time.
P.S. You may also have to then manage that part of your mindset that’ll tell you that you’re doomed and that you’ll never change… Ignore the voice that’ll tell you that you might as well give up. That old song will very likely cue up whenever you mess up.
You might be asking: Where do these self-sabotaging default programs playing on repeat even come from?
Most humans have experienced past traumas in varying extremes on the trauma spectrum.
Trauma is not a comparative thing when it comes to individual healing and growth. It doesn’t matter how terrible or minor the experience may seem to the outside world…All that matters is what YOUR mind did with the negative experience to get through it.
I’ve shared my bullying/teasing “trauma” as a young girl many times before. This probably doesn’t even qualify as a diagnostic factor in terms of our health care system, but these experiences shaped my view of the world, myself and they created signals and energy that I stored in my mind and body for decades.
My response to these experiences led me to use food and (later) alcohol to escape the painful feelings.
There’s still residue there. I AM sure.
Deep programs like:
“Don’t trust people.” “Play small. Lay low. Better to not be seen.” You’re not good enough.” “Something’s wrong with you.” “You don’t fit in.”
As you look back at your life, these experiences likely led you to develop beliefs about yourself in order to compartmentalize the situation…to make sense of it….to protect yourself – that scared little girl (or boy) inside of you.
These beliefs – your mindset – now lead to behaviors and tendencies that the brain automates – they’re established as neural patterns – like well worn grooves – so that you don’t have to use any brain energy to ‘think’ about it.
The brain will just put those patterns on repeat subconsciously. You probably don’t even notice them at all – but they’re there…playing and replaying all day long.
Improving your weight and health, changing your diet, drinking less, being still, connecting, moving appropriately, sleeping enough and changing your current path are not actually life-threateningly dangerous changes for most of us, right?
So what prevents us from doing ‘all the things’ – all the good things we know we SHOULD do?
It’s your mindset.
Urges, cravings, sabotage – all those “eff it” moments – come from your own mind in response to the circumstances that are presented to you.
You’re mind subconsciously or consciously interprets the circumstance as safe/pleasurable or stressful/uncomfortable…and off it goes!
When you work at that level – monitoring and shifting your thoughts consistently (I don’t mean perfectly)…letting go of past traumas, resentments and pain, transforming those old false beliefs and stories – THEN you’ll be on your way to PERMANENT change.
Change that not only influences your healthy habits – but it can even change your entire life for the better.
If you’d like to learn more powerful tools to master your health, weight and habits, I’m hosting a free Masterclass in March. Join me! Or if you’d like to work 1:1 with me, I have a few coaching package spots opening up this spring. Learn more here.
