Reach Your Goals with Self-Talk
By Sara Butler
Getting encouragement and support is very important in reaching health and wellness goals. Getting support from others is only one aspect of encouragement, though. You must get support from yourself too. Your inner voice can drown out everything else, so you must make sure that the things you’re saying to yourself are supportive. You have to be there for yourself, on the good days and the bad. Here are some easy ways you can offer up your own encouragement.
Talk to Yourself Like You Would Someone Else
Here’s a crucial rule to follow: Don’t say something to yourself that you would say to anyone else. Quite often, people are far more negative to themselves than they are to others and that’s too bad. You need to be kinder and more supportive of yourself.
When you find you’re beating yourself up or getting down, stop and think about how you’d talk to someone else who was feeling like you in that moment. Recognize that what you say in your mind has the same emotional impact on you as it would on someone else. If you wouldn't say it to someone else, then don’t say it to yourself!
Look at the Big Picture
No matter how big a problem seems or how often it comes up to haunt you, it’s never the entire story. It’s easy to point out to yourself where things went wrong, but you should do the opposite. Instead, think about where things went right for you. Don’t spend too much time thinking about all the things you did wrong or you’ll never get where you want to go!
Forget the Drama
If you’re upset because you didn’t stick to one of your health or fitness goals, think about how much it really matters in the grand scheme of things. Over the course of the average life, a person will consume about 50 million calories. A few calories here and there that you shouldn’t have had don’t mean a lot in the big picture, so don’t get dramatic about it. Blowing things out of proportion is not going to help you reach your goals any faster. Plus, the more often you think that way, the more power you give those problems and they may eventually become your reason to give up on yourself!
Be nice to yourself and the places you will go may surprise you!
To learn more about your health, wellness, and fitness, see your local chiropractor at The Joint Chiropractic in Long Beach, Calif.