ing, uncontrollable late night eating, eating the wrong types of food, etc. ... The Thought: âI had a hard day and I n
THE ROOT OF OUR ACTIONS IS OUR THOUGHTS Copyright Laurie Cromie, www.Barivangelist.com
If you feel like you are stuck in a pattern of behavior that you WANT TO CHANGE (e.g., over-eating, uncontrollable late night eating, eating the wrong types of food, etc.), we must first identify the THOUGHTS that lead us to those actions. OUR CIRCUMSTANCES can trigger OUR THOUGHTS which cause OUR FEELINGS which drive OUR ACTIONS which cause CONSEQUENCES -- either positive or negative.
Did you notice this is also true of establishing GOOD habits, too? Your thoughts are the root of not only your failures, but also your success! Next time you realize you’re about to do something that goes against your goals, do this: Write down your thoughts, the reasons that drive you to that behavior. Allow yourself to FEEL it out instead of trying to (ACTION) escape it or numb it with food, or whatever else your addiction may be. Ask yourself, are these thoughts factually true? Assuming the answer is NO, replace them with a positive truth that negates that thought. The quickest way to stop the negative, self-sabotaging thoughts, is to immediately REPLACE THEM with the positive. For example, if you struggle with night binging: The Circumstance: It was a demanding day at work, and the kids wouldn’t go to bed until very late. The Thought: “I had a hard day and I need to unwind before I will be able to fall asleep.” ...which causes the Feeling: Anxiety ...which drives the Action: eating anything and everything you can find. ...which causes the Consequences: Moving you further and further away from reaching your goals. Instead, if your thought is, “I had a hard day and I need to unwind before I will be able to fall asleep,” allow yourself to realize you are feeling anxious, but turning to food only hurts you, not helps you. It will cause you MORE anxiety in the long run, not less. Journal those feelings of anxiousness. Get them down on paper. You will be able to process them so much more effectively with a piece of paper and pen. Once you’ve got that out, now list three wins from the day. Even the smallest of wins count! Celebrating your wins will give you the momentum to change your thoughts, thus changing the root of the behavior once and for all!
As always, please feel free to email me!
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