Belief Busters!

Now that you know what you are thinking, let's examine where these thoughts come from. Our brains are like computers. We are programmed with beliefs that lead to our actions. We are programmed by our culture, parents, society, friends, media, music, advertisements, religion and more. We live accepting our beliefs. The excitng fact is that our beliefs can be changed.

Look over your list from last week's assignment of jotting down negative or non-supportive beliefs about our body image. Did you write down what you were doing around the time that non-supportive thought popped in your head? Chances are, something unconsciously triggered this thought. For instance, you may have noticed while watching one of your favorite television shows, you had an urge for pizza, fast food, chocolate, or even ice cream. You may have noticed you felt inadequate while flipping through magazines, driving down the street past billboards, or even listening to the radio. Or perhaps you noticed after talking to a parent, friend, or loved one you were more self-conscoious about your weight. You may have even found yourself in the presence of a could be companion and just didn't feel like you measure up.

So now you're probably thinking, what can I do about this? What can I do to get rid of these thoughts? Do i have to stop watching television, reading magazines, talking to my family and friends, and not try to attract a possible companion? Of course not. But you can face these issues head on. Live with knowing you may never get rid of a thought. You can, however, manage the way you process thoughts.

For example, you are watching television; you get an urge for ice cream. You now feel bad as you are trying to lose weight and you know ice cream will not help you reach this goal. You begin to think, I'm never going to lose this weight, it is so hard to eat right. STOP. Acknowledge this thought. Replace it with, 'I will lose this weight, I can eat right and it will be easy.' Even if you don't believe this right away, you are sowing seeds that will change that non-supportive belief you have about yourself.

If you spend a large amount of time watching television or browsing magazines and you know it tempts you to eat unhealthy food or makes you feel inadequate, you can limit your time doing those things or even eliminate it altogether. Replace the tv for exercise, podcasts, or a good book and instead of the magazines, read articles in the newspaper or online. As far as the people in our lives, we can't choose our family but we can make a stand and show others how to treat us. Be open about how a parent or significant other makes you feel. The stronger our sense of who we are and what we are capable of, the stronger our self-control and desire to follow-through by our actions.

The next time a non-supportive thought pops in your mind, acknowledge it - never entertain the thought. Replace it with an opposing supportive thought. And move on.

Be consistent and VERY patient, these things take time.

Until next time, Dream it. Be it. Do it! And know that it's yours.