celebrate the small things

How often do you get frustrated and discouraged because you just can't seem to get done what you set out to do? It can be something small like completing your list for the day or something bigger like losing the 50 lbs you've been trying to lose for what seems like forever.  It's so easy to get down on ourselves, or beat ourselves up over it.  Maybe it's not happening as fast as you would like. Or it's always 1 step forward, steps back.

Our minds tend to automatically go to the negative. We focus on our failures and shortcomings. This thinking causes us mental anxiety which creates stress in the body, which raises cortisol levels. And we know cortisol is a big culprit to keeping weight on.  So just our thoughts alone can perpetuate the cycle of weight gain/loss that you are constantly trying to get out of.

How can you break this cycle? By acknowledging yourself for the progress you have made.  Even if seems really small, like 5 lbs.  It's still 5 lbs!  You've made progress.  Any step forward is still a step forward.  Give yourself some credit for it.

When you take the time to acknowledge yourself for even the smallest successes, it puts you in a stronger, more positive frame of mind and builds up confidence in yourself and you will be more likely to make decisions that will keep you moving forward.

So next time you are beating yourself up over your shortcomings, stop and consciously start thinking of what progress you have made.  Now this will probably take a little practice and might even feel a little uncomfortable at first because it hasn't been your habit to think this way.  But little by little you will soon find that it gets easier and will start happening more naturally. And when your thoughts are focused more on the positive, your mind and body will be more relaxed and you will notice more positive things begin happening in your life.

You've got this!