You’ve heard it said, “Attitude is everything.”
And in the case of weightloss, health and overall wellbeing, this is the absolute truth! Your mindset influences every conversation you have, every decision you make, and every meal you eat.
When you are confident and unafraid to love yourself you are more likely to make healthy choices and treat yourself right.
Do you have a negative attitude? Are you sabotaging your weightloss efforts without even realising it?
Check yourself against these five common mindset mistakes:
Being a Control Freak
The Problem: Control Freaks work hard to control people and situations so that everything is expected and perfect. Unfortunately, people with this mindset are dealt a crushing blow when things don’t go according to plan. They spiral into self-doubt, depression and fear. These negative attitudes lead to many bad life decisions, like skipping workout and drowning sorrows in ice cream instead.
The Solution: The only way to beat the Control Freak mindset is to accept the fact that you are not in control of everything!
…Easier said than done, right?
Maybe, but it does take a conscience effort. When things get out of control; the car breaks down, the pipes leak:
- Take a step back and breath deep – Recognise that this is sometimes a part of life. That stuff happens and there is nothing you can do to prevent it.
- Find something positive to focus on – Maybe the pipe did burst, but it didn’t ruin the carpet… In fact, now you have the excuse to give them that good deep clean you’ve been putting off!
Having Unrealistic Expectations
The Problem: Sometimes people let their wildest hopes take control of their expectations. They expect to lose 50 kilos in two weeks; they expect to do a flawless dance routine the first time they try. When these expectations aren’t met, frustration sets in and it seems easier to give up than face repeated failure.
The Solution: Remember, setting unrealistic expectations is setting yourself up for failure, and nobody likes to fail. Instead, set small, manageable goals for yourself. Reward your small successes as you work toward your larger goal and give your mind and body a break from the pressures of unrealistic expectations.
Playing the Blame Game
The Problem: Sometimes people find a false sense of security by blaming others. They stop taking responsibility for their own choices and instead blame the friend who called out sick to a workout, or the well-meaning aunt who sent a box of chocolates as a gift.
The Solution: If you want to make real changes in your life, you need to accept responsibility for your actions. Go work out by yourself and re-gift those chocolates – Do whatever you need to stay on track and make great choices for yourself.
Being Unforgiving
The Problem: Some people are just way too hard on themselves. They start out with good intentions, but beat themselves up for every small misstep. This is very common with dieters – they declare failure after one cookie and go ahead and have five more to punish themselves… and comfort themselves.
The Solution: It is important to recognise that you are human, and you will make mistakes. You will eat cookies, you will skip workouts – and that is ok. See each of these situations for what it really is: You treated yourself a little because you are special and you deserve it. Then get right back to working on your goals.
Imagining Insults
The Problem: When people are self-conscience and feeling bad about themselves they often project those feelings into the people around them. They worry when people laugh out loud in public, and assume that people were laughing at them. They avoid working out and doing fun activities for fear of how others will see them.
The Solution: Love yourself enough to get out there – find fun activities, do what you love, and forget about everyone else. Don’t assume that others are looking at you with scorn – 99% of the time they aren’t, because they are too busy worrying about how you see them. And for that 1% of the time when people really are being cruel, remember that their negative attitude and need to drag others down is a problem with them – not with you. You don’t need their toxic approval in your life anyway.