Winning the MENTAL GAME of long-term healthy eating!
Overcome the MOST COMMON mental hang-ups and hurdles by completing these journal exercises.
You can use whatever note-taking system you like. Some of the journal exercises may be uncomfortable. But to get past some of the issues that you’ve been struggling with, you’ll need to dig deep to work towards a better relationship with food and yourself and to help you stick to the healthy eating long-term!
Knowing your truth.
HURDLE #1: Limiting Beliefs
I’m not good enough.
Nothing ever works for me.
I can’t change.
I don’t deserve to make money doing what I love.
This is too hard.
I’m not good enough.
I’m not capable.
I’m broken.
I don’t need help from anyone.
It’s too late.
I’m alone.
I can’t trust anyone.
Do any of these statements sound familiar? I’m all too familiar with all of these statements. These statements are limiting beliefs. A limiting belief is something that you believe about yourself and your identity that restricts or hinders you in some way. These beliefs are what your mind is defining as truth. These beliefs are crippling. They hold you back. They keep you from being authentic and successful. Redefine your truth with this exercise.
List two or three of your limiting beliefs. If there are more, list them. Tackle each one of them individually. Then follow the below exercise.
Identify. Accept. Replace. Repeat. DO.
IDENTIFY
Identify how you feel and recognize that this is not your truth. The statements above are not feelings. These statements do not describe how you feel. They describe what you think you are. Anytime these beliefs or thoughts come up, change the “I can’t” to “I feel.” Write down the feelings associated with this belief. Try to remember that your feelings are your mental experience.
Now that you’ve identified how you feel, let’s dig deeper. Why do you feel this way? What’s behind the feelings? GET REAL WITH YOURSELF.
ACCEPT
Accept your feelings. Then write down a statement acknowledging your acceptance. Don’t judge yourself. Just allow yourself to feel what you feel. Cry. Let it out. Sit. With. The. Tension. Breathe through it. Sometimes the acceptance and feelings hurt. Sometimes they bring pain. But letting this out will ultimately bring you peace. It releases the negativity that you’re holding onto.
ONE OF MY FAVORITE QUOTES IS FROM ECKHART TOLLE.
“ACCEPT — THEN ACT. WHATEVER THE PRESENT MOMENT CONTAINS, ACCEPT IT AS IF YOU HAD CHOSEN IT. ALWAYS WORK WITH IT, AND NOT AGAINST IT… THIS WILL MIRACULOUSLY TRANSFORM YOUR WHOLE LIFE.”
REPLACE
Replace this limiting belief with a new, positive truth. Back it up with a new way of thinking and reasoning. Then trust that this IS the real truth. Think about your past experiences and accomplishments. Write them down. Type them out. Do something so that you can see them in front of you. This is a tough one. Well it was for me anyway. This is where you change the way you think and feel about yourself. You must change the way you think and feel about yourself. If you need to physically write down your old belief on a piece of paper and set it on fire, do it. Orrrrr you can shred it, flush it down the toilet. Do whatever it takes to release it. Then write down your new truth and put it in a place where you can see it every day.
REPEAT
REPEAT. REPEAT. REPEAT. Repeat this new truth back to yourself over and over. Notice the difference between the limiting belief and the new truth? Which feels better? Which sounds more true? Be intentional about going through these steps to examine what’s in your gut! You know the real truth. Trust your intuition. Allow this new truth to become a voice in your head. You might even develop your own mantra to tell yourself to change your mind about how you feel about yourself.
DO
DO something productive with your new truth. You might write. Draw. Create. Dance. Do something physical. Go for a walk or run. Do yoga, Pilates, stretch. Doing something physical that expresses how you feel now, will help solidify in your body as well as in your mind what your truth really is. Your body remembers things that you don’t consciously know. Doing something physically positive with your new feelings will bring positive body associations.
My journal entry…
If you’re like me, you might have a long list of limiting beliefs. I have to tackle them one at a time because it feels overwhelming to see my limiting beliefs on paper or even think about how much my mind might be cluttered. If it feels like too much deal with them, list them all out. Then pick the one that seems to come up over and over in your mind.
IDENTIFY
The limiting belief I chose to tackle is … “I’m not good enough” or “I’m not capable.” >>> This describes what I think I am.
I feel like I’m not good enough. I feel like I’m not capable. >>> This describes how I feel.
I feel worried that I will be replaced. I feel discouraged. I feel incapable. I feel jealousy towards others. I feel dissatisfied with myself. It’s no wonder that I’m anxious, angry, and uncomfortable with myself. >>> This describes the feelings associated with my limiting belief.
I feel like this because it seems to me that everyone has at least one special talent or skill and I feel like I have none. I feel like I’m not really good at any one thing. This is ultimately a giant of comparison. I look at someone else, anyone else and see how gifted and talented they are. I can plainly see that they are really good at something. They seem so successful at life and I’m often struggling. I struggle keeping up. I struggle remembering things. Is it really that or is it that I see they seem to be successful and I feel like I’m not successful at any one thing? >>> This is my WHY.
Note to self: I realize that in identifying my limiting belief, that I also struggle with a giant of comparison. I will tackle this at a later date.
ACCEPT
I’m just having a hard time finding my special talent and purpose and I accept that. I acknowledge and accept how I feel even though it makes me uncomfortable. I release the negativity associated with these uncomfortable feelings. It hurts to think that I’m not good enough. I will allow this acceptance to release the negativity that I’m holding onto and then to bring me peace. I am making a conscious decision to let this go. >>> My statement of acceptance.
REPLACE
I am good enough. I am capable. I am enough. I am working on this so that I can become a stronger person. I have three degrees. I designed a training and development program for a prestigious firm in Clayton, MO. This company still uses my program and I haven’t worked there in 11 years! I designed a graduate teaching assistant workshop that the university still uses even though I graduated in 2011. I started a business. I’ve helped several others find themselves and their true purposes. I was voted most dependable in high school. I gotta dig deep to really replace my old belief. I taught myself how to do taxes, then pursued a career in doing so. I have written many resumes for people and helped them find jobs. I lectured at a university. I created marketing material for an apartment complex and it was successful. I earned my master’s degree in a year and a half and finished with an overall 3.8 GPA. I kind of spewed out a bunch of different things here but it really helped me feel good about myself again! >>> Me replacing my old belief!
In doing this exercise, I remembered the good things I’ve done, the projects I am proud of and the difference I made in other’s lives. :D
REPEAT
My new belief feels really good. :) I am capable of excelling. I am enough. I am capable. I am enough. I know the real truth. I trust my intuition. I am capable of doing great work! I am capable of excelling! >>> This makes me feel really good to repeat to myself.
DO
Time to go for a run!!
Some habits die hard.
What to do if a limiting belief comes up… Limiting beliefs may come up from time to time. Your brain may bring up old limiting beliefs because your brain has a habit of taking any negative feeling and bringing it to your consciousness as a single thought. The longer you’ve ignored them, the more time it may take to take care of these thoughts. So instead of waiting for your brain to react, bring these limiting beliefs to light. Continuing this mindful practice will cause positive energy to build. Once the new habit forms, you will feel and know the truth.
You deserve to feel good about yourself. You still deserve to feel good about yourself no matter what circumstance or situation you’re in even if it’s unpleasant. So stop allowing these limiting beliefs power over you. Do this journal exercise and let me know how it goes.
Out of the Belly
~Caroline
skelly.caroline@gmail.com