Trash Talkin' Self

[beppa66]

Is your inner voice a trash-talker?
If you've tried and failed to reach your fitness goals in the past, negative thoughts might have been what held you back. Want to succeed this time? Get your journal. It's time to get some of those thoughts out of your head and onto paper. Ask yourself the following questions:

1. Do you have a negative self-image?
Do you constantly say things like "I'm fat" or "I'm ugly"? Do you pick yourself apart and beat yourself up when you look in the mirror?

2. Do you lack self-confidence?
Do you doubt your ability to achieve your goals, weight-related or otherwise? Do you dwell on your perceived limits or fears? Do you doubt your ability to accomplish the things you want to accomplish?

3. Do you feel powerless?
Do you feel as if you have no control over your life, or do you rely on excuses like "I'm genetically predisposed to being overweight"?

4. Do you label yourself in self-deprecating ways?
Do you think and talk about your failure to lose weight as a foregone conclusion? Do you refer to yourself mockingly (or not!) as a stereotype — the happy/funny fat person in the room? Is your e-mail address "fatso@blank.com"?

How would you describe the tone of your answers? Are they affirming and constructive, or downbeat and destructive? Want to turn your thinking around? The following question will help you understand why you have been propagating these destructive thoughts and behaviors so that we can cut them out at the root.

5. How is this negativity hurting you?
Is what you say about yourself really the truth? Or is it a defense mechanism? And if so, against what? Are you just making complicated excuses? How does this kind of negativity help you achieve your goals? The answers to these questions should help you start to see what's at the root of your negative thinking.

Now go back and answer the five questions again, and force yourself to use only positive terms. It can be hard to let go of these negative thought patterns. Often, they're the result of years of self-loathing and your internalizing of the negative opinions and judgments of others, but you can do it. Remember, knowledge is power.


I hope everyone enjoyed this article, it was from Jillian.

[Veganforlife]

Good article. I can honest answer no to all of these. Especially since going raw! Prior to that I may have answered yet to a couple of these.
Thanks for posting.

[Frecs]

Is your inner voice a trash-talker?

Used to be...used to be really bad. I've come a loooonnnnggg way.


1. Do you have a negative self-image?
Do you constantly say things like "I'm fat" or "I'm ugly"? Do you pick yourself apart and beat yourself up when you look in the mirror?

Not anymore. My real challenge here is my mother...and grandmother...and aunts...all of whom have bad self-images and like to have as much company as possible. They always follow up a compliment with a criticism. Like, "you are looking so much better....are you going to have surgery to get rid of all that ugly skin?" I do allot of positive self-talk and affirmations including scriptural affirmations to overcome my inner and outer voices.


2. Do you lack self-confidence?
Do you doubt your ability to achieve your goals, weight-related or otherwise? Do you dwell on your perceived limits or fears? Do you doubt your ability to accomplish the things you want to accomplish?

I'm better than I was, but still fall for this one. Having failed miserably many many times... BUT, we press onward and upward to achieve our goals....


3. Do you feel powerless?
Do you feel as if you have no control over your life, or do you rely on excuses like "I'm genetically predisposed to being overweight"?
ummm...control issues have always been part of my life...it's what has driven my dysfunctional eating since childhood. I feel more in control of my life and my destiny now than in times past....


4. Do you label yourself in self-deprecating ways?
Do you think and talk about your failure to lose weight as a foregone conclusion? Do you refer to yourself mockingly (or not!) as a stereotype — the happy/funny fat person in the room? Is your e-mail address "fatso@blank.com"?

No, but my mother jokes that I'll be the "skinniest fat lady ever" because I look allot trimmer but still carry 40 pounds too much fat.



I hope everyone enjoyed this article, it was from Jillian.

I did. Thanks for sharing! It's good to be reminded of how our words (and the words of others) affect our attitude toward ourselves and also how our body functions. How we feel about ourselves and how we think about ourselves really does affect our health and physical/emotional well-being.

[beppa66]

Frecs, hang in there. It really sounds like you are making great strides in all areas of your well-being. I tend to do some self trash talking, but I'm getting better. It's a worthy goal and one worth inching towards, if necessary. – Blessings!