Our mind is a powerful thing! It can get us through some of the toughest situations but it can also shut us down as fast as you can blink. When we think of our mind we don’t think of it like a muscle, something you can build and grow but that’s exactly what we can do! The first step is identifying where our mindset is currently.
Perfectionism:
We will follow a plan to a “T”, even if we don’t like the food or workouts. We will follow it dreaming of the day we can eat and move how we want until we just can’t take the bland, tasteless food anymore, and once that happens watch out candy isle!! Oh, how we’ve missed you!!! Perfectionists need to work on a mindset of Better is Better or Progress NOT Perfection. It’s okay if we don’t follow a plan exactly how it’s laid out. We need to find what works for us and almost create our own plan! If you’re not enjoying what you are doing you won’t be doing it long enough to see results, so stop forcing yourself to do something that is unfulfilling! *We perfectionists are so afraid of failure we sometimes don’t try at all*
All or Nothing:
Having to have everything so perfect that you can’t make one mistake, and if you do make a mistake then all hell breaks loose! With the All or Nothing mindset you are either all in or all out, perfect or failing no in-between. But there is an in-between, there’s a sweet spot of doing better. Are you doing better today than yesterday? Did you try a little bit harder in your workout compared to last week? It’s okay that not every morsel of food is measured out exactly or that a rep was missed in the last workout because you just couldn’t eek out one more! It’s okay not being all in all the time.
Good-Bad Trade-Offs:
Rewarding yourself for good behavior and good deeds by indulging in bad behaviors. You stuck exactly to your plan all week so the weekend is free game for food and alcohol!! Party!! But then comes guilt and remorse. You are not a child earning stickers for treats by going potty on the toilet. You’re an adult. As an adult we know that to get anywhere long term we need to be consistent. Consistently making better choices, not perfect choices, better choices. Sadly just because you spend 5 days doing exactly what you’re supposed to, doesn’t cancel out the weekend. You can undo all your work in just one day!! So don’t do things to get rewarded, do things because you enjoy them and they are getting you closer to where you want to be, comfortable in your own skin!
If you can relate to any of these mindsets or a combination of them then know you are definitely not alone!! I am a perfectionist, and everyday I have to tell myself Progress not Perfection! You can change your mindset but first recognizing what you are doing, then doing your best to catch yourself when you want to quit.
Lindsay Morinville Coaching