How to bust those negative thoughts for good!

So, you’re trying to get fit, and you know that you are going to need a positive mindset to stay motivated and skip the ice cream. You have been practicing a lot of positive affirmations you found online to psych yourself up. But it’s not working. Sometimes, it just feels like you’re repeating empty words that you don’t really believe are true.

This problem could be occurring because you *don’t *believe what you are telling yourself. On some deep level, it feels like a lie. To make positive thinking work for you, you have to find a way to believe that you can attain your goal.

Instead of trying to force yourself to be positive, you need to rewire your brain. Try to understand what your negative thoughts are telling you and replace them with positive beliefs that help you achieve your goals.

How to Overcome Negative Thoughts

Maybe you do well with your fitness goals for a while but then lose your momentum. You miss a workout and find it even harder to get back in the gym. It is not uncommon for people to overreact and blow slip ups out of proportion. Identify why the slip up occurred and find a solution for it. It could be that running isn’t your jam but weight lifting is. Maybe your goal needs tweaking.

Don’t let your failures define you. You might have temporarily failed (we all do), but you are *not *a failure. People are way too complex to be defined by such simplistic labels.

Remind Yourself of a Goal You Have Accomplished

Maybe fitness has been challenging for you, but you, no doubt, have succeeded in some goal at some point in your life. Everybody has.

Did you accomplish a work goal that you set for yourself? Did you raise a happy child or get a promotion? This means that you can accomplish what you set out to do in life.

When you have a setback on your fitness journey, remind yourself of your previous successes, the more challenging the better. It’s easy to get discouraged and beat yourself up when you don’t follow through on a goal. When your thoughts spiral in a negative direction, take a moment to remember your previous successes and to remind yourself that you *can *make your dreams come true.

Put a picture of something that you saved up to buy as your phone screensaver, or keep an award you won at work on your desk. Think about how you handled setbacks with a goal that you accomplished in the past. What did you say to yourself to keep yourself motivated? How can you apply what you learned in that situation to your fitness goals?

The benefit of keeping your previous successes in your mind while you’re trying to reach a new goal is that it isn’t a fantasy. It’s not something you are trying to *make *yourself believe. You actually did accomplish that goal!

Creative Visualization

Think about what it felt like to succeed with your old goal. Did you feel proud of yourself? What emotions did you associate with that experience? Now, imagine yourself at your chosen fitness level. What does it feel like? What would it be like to feel strong, to move more freely, to be able to wear a bikini? Research has found that when we vividly imagine something, the more real it becomes to us.

Positive Affirmations

Positive affirmation works best when they are tailored to the person. You can’t just parrot some online junk that doesn’t feel true to you. What are you struggling with? Make your affirmation specific to the goal you are trying to achieve.

For example, if you struggle with discipline, say something like “I have been able to achieve goals before, and I have the strength to follow through on my fitness goals now.” “I am building a sustainable lifestyle for health and wellness.”

Bottom Line

Positive thinking works best when it feels authentic for you. To develop a better mindset, focus on past successes, challenge your negative assumptions, and use tools like creative visualization and affirmations that are tailored to your unique struggles. With positive thinking and consistent practice, you can reshape your mindset and reach your goals.