positive talk
Showing posts with label positive talk. Show all posts
Practicing Positivity
Sounds simple enough and it actually is but like any new habit it takes practice. If our automatic response is to see negative, it takes work to look for the positive.
Now why is this important?
1. "Happy thoughts and positive thinking, in general, support brain growth, as well as the generation and reinforcement of new synapses, especially in your prefrontal cortex (PFC), which serves as the integration center of all of your brain-mind functions." Sweet, we want our brains to grow, yes? It's very important to keep well as we age.
2. Looking for the positive actually makes us more resilient, less likely to become depressed and overall have a better quality of life. Even when faced with adversity and stress, this type of thinking can help keep us going when the going gets tough.
3. Positive thinking can help strengthen your immune system and make you less likely to become ill. Now this doesn't mean it's the cure for cancer, however if you're focusing on negative things all the time this can spike your cortisol levels which when this happens chronically can weaken your immune system. Therefore positive thoughts can help keep cortisol levels even and keep your immune system up.
4. Positive begets positive. The moment you start looking for the positive you see more of it, this affects the way you see everything, the weather, your job etc. So for individuals suffering from low level Seasonal Affective Disorder or low level depression this can be quite helpful mitigating the negative symptoms they experience. A lot of depression can be chemically based and require medications but there is nothing wrong with adding this in with that.
Okay now to the technical side: how?! Practice makes perfect
1. Write 3 positive things in your day planner/journal every day. Start with 3, guaranteed you'll be able to see more and more as the weeks go on. When I started my first week most of my things included naps, sleeping etc. It's branched out from there.
2. Use the buddy system. With your partner/bff at the end of the day tell each other 3 good things that happened that day. Ask them to call you out when you're being too negative.
3. Set reminders. A simple alarm going off on your phone reminding you to look for the positive can be very helpful when your day is becoming overwhelming.
4. If you don't have anything nice to say.....We've all heard this one. Now I'm not saying you can't vent about a stressful situation at work, etc, but if you keep bringing it up well that means you're just going over it over & over again. This isn't helpful, bringing it up to vent or get someone's opinion is healthy, stewing is not.
Good resources: rewire your brain, self talk
I've read the first, and the second comes highly recommended.
Body Acceptance & Positivity
This is something I have struggled (struggle) with on and off for my whole damn life. I think it's something all women struggle with. I think it's bullshit that we grow up feeling bad about our bodies and all the ways in which they seem imperfect. I myself, am a perfectionist but long ago realized that perfectionism in relation to my physical appearance is actually the worst thing for my mental health and happiness. I still have bad days, who doesn't! But the fact is, I try my hardest to channel that inner voice that says I'm not enough of a or b and focus on all the amazing things my body can do. My body can run! My body can lift! My body can get me around easily!
1. Stop comparing yourself to others (or even past versions of yourself). I'm so bad for comparing myself to myself, maybe it's pre injury or my running time, but it still isn't helpful.
2. Unfollow accounts on social media that make you feel bad. Those individuals posting pictures of their 6 packs every 5 minute don't really bring any value to the conversation for myself personally and therefore I don't want to see it. If someone is posting instructional video, interesting exercises, bodies in motion, cool! But people who just gratuitously post pictures of themselves flexing are not what I want to see.
3. Try to be aware of the language you use in regards to how you talk about your body. You wouldn't tell your friend she had a huge ass, or gross muffin top, why the hell would you say that to yourself?
4. Buddy system. Find a friend, a lover, a partner in crime to talk to about this stuff, someone who can (gently) suggest when you're perhaps being a bit too hard on yourself. Darcy has been a great help when I'm being negative and don't even realize, it helps me reset my external and internal dialogue.
5. Focus on internal goals, not external ones. In the gym, in life etc, make your goals things like "I want to lift xlbs on this exercise, or increase my reps, increase my mobility" instead of dropping weight.
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