How to Change your Mindset

We have all heard the phrase mind over matter, yet few of us truly realize the power of the mind. If they did, they wouldn’t dare expend the amount of time thinking the way they do. I spent most of my life paying zero attention to how I was thinking or the way my thoughts were affecting me, until I started a weight loss program about five years ago and learned how to change the way I was thinking and talking to myself. It was an absolute game changer.

Our minds and the way we think are so much more powerful than most of us realize. It’s often the last thing we think of when we think about weight loss or getting fit, but it is probably the most critical player in this endeavor. If you are like I was, the way you think and the way you speak to yourself when you look in the mirror is probably not the best. In fact, it may be downright horrible. I know it was the case for me. When I started making a conscious effort to change my mind, my whole life changed as well as my weight. So, how does one change their mindset? Well, there are several major steps:

1. Become aware of your current state of thinking.
2. Take stock of how your current state of thinking is affecting you.
3. Determine how you want to feel and the results you want.
4. Develop affirmations aligned to how you want to feel and your desired results.  
5. Speak your affirmations daily.

As far back as I can remember I was inclined to see the negative. This grew worse in my early adolescent years when I started getting bullied about my weight. I internalized all the horrible, cruel things that were said to me and done to me daily. At some point I adopted them as my own beliefs about myself. As I got older and moved into adulthood all the body image issues and negative self-talk that fed these issues came with me. I was always so focused on weight loss as the solution, I never saw that it wouldn’t matter how much weight I lost because I’d always see my body negatively if my mindset and self-talk was negative. Eventually I was made aware of this. I was encouraged to pay attention and really think about the things I was saying to myself all the time in my head. I was asked to ask myself if I would say any of the things, I was saying to myself to anyone else. This really struck me, because the thought of saying such things to anyone was horrifying to me. So, why the hell was I speaking that way to myself? Yet I had been doing it for so long I couldn’t really recall when I started. Once I had an awareness of it, I was able to move forward to working on changing it.

So, how do you reverse negative self-talk and change your mindset? Well, I’ve broken it down into a five-step process. So, let’s jump in.

1. Become aware of your current state of thinking.
   
   You cannot change anything you are oblivious to, so before you can change anything you have to become aware of the way you are currently speaking to yourself in your mind and your dominant paradigm. Are you a glass half full or half empty person? Do you compliment yourself when you look in the mirror or do you tear yourself down? If you are tearing yourself down, what kinds of things are you saying to yourself? Start observing this in a neutral way and take note of the things you tend to say to yourself.
   
2. Take stock of how your current state of thinking is affecting you.
   
   Once you start to develop an awareness of how you are speaking to yourself, start to take note of how it is affecting you. Look at your current state and reality. How do you feel on a daily basis? How are your relationships? Do you see areas where your life reflects how you may be thinking about yourself? For example, when I started doing this, I noticed patterns in my relationships that reflected my feelings of unworthiness. I started noticing that I was perpetuating things I often complained about, by focusing on the negative more than the positive. All the things I didn’t like in my life were a result of my mindset and how I was thinking and speaking to myself.
   
3. Determine how you want to feel and the results you want.
   
   Now that you have an idea of your thinking patterns and their results, you can start to ask yourself what you want instead. What would feel better? How do you want to see yourself? How do you want to be?
   
4. Develop affirmations aligned to how you want to feel and your desired results.
   
   Now you want to take those negative things you say to yourself and flip them around into positive affirmations. List some of the characteristics you wish you had more of. For example, perhaps you are an introvert and want to be more outgoing or perhaps you want to feel more confident. Whatever it is, make an affirmation. Write it in the present tense and positive terms. For example, I am beautiful. I am confident. I am energetic and outgoing. You get the idea.
   
5. Speak your affirmations daily.
   
   Pick 3-5 to focus on for about a month or so and place them all over the place; in your car, on your bathroom mirror, at your desk. This will help you remember to speak them regularly. Say them as often as possible through the day. In tandem with this you will also need to catch yourself when you are speaking negatively and go back to your affirmations. This takes time and consistency, but it truly works wonders in changing your mindset. In time, you will feel the affirmations. They will gradually become your truth.

So, that is how you can change your mindset. I hope you try this because it will absolutely change your life. You will start to feel better and you will increase your sense of self-worth and self-love. The more you do this and the longer you do this, you will start to see changes in other areas of your life.  

I would love to hear from you, so please share your thoughts in the comments. If you find this helpful and want to continue the pursuit of faith, fitness, and joy with me, please like and subscribe. You can also find Faith Fitness Joy on Facebook and Instagram or check out the Podcast. Thanks for stopping by and I hope to see you in the comments and on the socials!