Your Challenge Today:
Our mental attitude … governs our results!
By Bernadette Kathryn, LMT, IHLC
Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions; it
is governed by our mental attitude.
~ Dale Carnegie
Our happiness is mostly a product of our attitude ~ just as weight loss is a product of our commitment and planning.
Now I know that things in life are not that black and white, there are many shades of gray in between. I know that sometimes there are those days when our mental attitude is not enough to foster real happiness inside us, we might need the loving support of a friend to help us find our inner spirit again. Sometimes we need to shift our attention to a different activity to create space in our lives and psyche to find the happiness that we’ve temporarily misplaced, it happens. That’s when a heartfelt chat might help, a funny movie to change the subject, a walk in the park or a long swim can provide just the right change of venue to shift our perspective and remind us of the happiness that we’ve momentarily lost.
I believe it’s the same with life-changing goals too. When we embark on changing habits, deep seeded patterns, we can sometimes get lost in our path. We might need to jump ship for a moment to remind ourselves what we want and get back on track. Weight loss is a mental challenge as well as physical and emotional. Don’t fool yourself ~ many of us have learned to use food as our solace since we were children. Mom probably used candy and ice cream as a bribe at some point or as a way to make you feel better when you were hurting. I know for myself, I would go for ice cream and cookies when I wasn’t feeling good emotionally. I would go to the store pick up the package of my favorite cookies — Nutter Butter Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookies and vanilla ice cream. I would look at myself and these bags and say — “you are depressed — you are right, and I want this right now to make me feel better.” I knew full well that the ‘goodies’ were a temporary fix and I would ultimately regret the choice. And, sometimes – it just has to be done!
We have to BALANCE the need for emotional support and how we choose to give it to ourselves with the goals that we have for our Living Fit Lifestyle. The first step to our success is our self-support and recognition. Recognizing that we might be hurting inside from one thing or another and that feeling just might be driving our desire for a temporary quick fix. It’s OK to soothe ourselves with goodies sometimes, it’s when the sometimes becomes too often, and the balance is off. Being accountable to ourselves is where keeping a Food Journal / Success Diary is an excellent aid in our journey. We can use our journal as a barometer to monitor our level of change and see just where and when we feel like jumping ship. Once we begin to recognize our emotional triggers, we can face them while looking for a new approach.
How is your mental attitude supporting your Smart Goals
for your Living Fit Lifestyle?
Happiness doesn’t depend on any external conditions #LivingFitLifestyle Click To Tweet
intellectually, i understand the difference between healthy and emotional eating. i can recognize an emotional choice when it is in front of me and as it is approaching my mouth. i would love to lose a few pounds now. but there are times (like now) when i can’t beat myself up for “bad choices”. when i’m feeling better i can focus on my eating habits.
I suppose I am “fortunate” to have physical pain that lets me know when I am carrying too much weight. During ther times (holidays, travel, family visits, etc)n when I “fall off” my living fit lifestyle plan, I remind myself, or my body reminds me, of how much better I feel when I am lighter. Spiritually, I honor myself by holding myself in loving kindness with getting right back to good self care. Long term, this includes balance and allowence for holidays, visits, etc.
It certainly seem counterintuitive to look at your physical pain as ‘fortunate’ and yet, I do believe you are right, Pamela. Pain is a messenger and if you have been able to decipher the message, heed the warning and turn your reality around into a better life experience — you are a winner! Thank you for sharing and your inspiration!