The Power of Positive Thinking
You’ve probably heard the saying “you are what you eat”. You are also what you think. Thinking shapes who we are and how we behave. Positive thoughts lead to positive feelings. AND when you’re feeling good, you take better care of yourself. Focusing on the glass half full as opposed to half empty leads to empowerment and greater likelihood of continuing positive behaviors.
Many clients come to session reporting what went wrong, dismissing any positive changes made. For example, last week a client came in saying she’d had a “bad” week. She’d eaten some M&M’s mindlessly and was torn up about it. Turns out, she had been sitting in a room full of chocolate all week as she and her colleagues prepared Easter candy displays. The fact that she had only reached for a handful of M&M’s once was pretty amazing. What happened to all those other times throughout the week that she ate mindfully? And who says a little chocolate (even a lot on occasion) doesn’t fit into healthy eating? Of course, she neglected to mention a few other things she had done; she had packed a healthy lunch for herself each day and exercised five times over the course of the week.
Keep in mind, guilt often leads to overeating and binge eating. Try to let go of guilt and keep things in perspective. Also, make sure to take time to embrace the benefits of positive changes. For example, after a workout, focus on how energized and relaxed you feel. You are more likely to do it again if you recall this feeling as opposed to how much more you should have done while you were there. Read more about the health benefits of positive thinking here Mayo Clinic – Health Benefits of Positive Thinking.
