It’s fair to say that most of us have reached that point in our lives where the easiest thing to do is to stop; stop everything and tell yourself you can’t. Some of us struggle with this ‘can’t do’ attitude on a daily basis, even on a task by task basis, and more often than not we become a little envious of those people who seem to float through life without a care in the world, exceeding their personal boundaries and forever achieving their goals.
The mental attitude you have towards yourself and towards life has a determining effect on how you perceive challenges, and there is no doubt that this stream of perpetual negative thoughts drain you physically.
While recent studies have discovered a direct link to our mental and physical wellbeing, negative attitudes are the number one cause of failure. Not allowing your mind to believe in yourself holds you back, and the deeper these negative and uninspiring thoughts swell, the further they pull you down into a seemingly endless pit of self depredation.
Training your mind to overcome these fears and patterns of negative thinking is no easy task, but enhancing your emotional stability and guiding both the mind and body to work together to improve your day to day life is very achievable.
If you tell yourself you can’t do something, then the likelihood of you even trying are approximately zero. Feeling disheartened can frequently lead to low self esteem, and this leads us on to feeling frustrated, useless and worthless. With these poor perceptions of ourself in place, we become less motivated, less inclined to try new things and more susceptible to stress.
When it comes to achieving goals, regardless of being fitness, life or business related, what we think about ourselves has a detrimental impact on our performance. We become lethargic and easily fatigued, we lose focus and all those long hours we’ve put in become wasted as we allow the circle of negativity to flourish. When a person is under stress, whether self inflicted or brought on by circumstances beyond our control, our physical self is also affected. Raised blood pressure, ulcers, tension headaches and poor posture can all be attributed to stress; they’re are all counterproductive in our quest for not only a better functioning physique, but a more satisfying lifestyle.
Achieving your goals is a mental journey as much as it is a physical one, to achieve you must believe, and putting that little voice of self doubt to the back of your mind is a must for anyone wanting to improve their performance. Mental focus and positive mind power are the key attributes held by athletes the world over. Determination is the driving force, and yes, everyone has a bad day, but being able to keep the mindfulness at the forefront can help keep negative thoughts at bay.
Because the mind and body work as one, it’s easy to see just how the mind can hold you back on a physical level. It truly is a case of mind over matter so take it one day at a time; every small achievement counts so give yourself credit where credit is due. Perhaps taking a few minutes out of your day to assess your exercise routine, eating habits and work-life balance could uncover some simple and instantly addressable factors to work on. Maybe trying meditation and/or yoga to help bring back your sense of wellbeing; this combination could be the key to unlocking your lost sense of direction, self worth, and positive mental attitude.