It’s my birthday week. Yay!
I’m
turning 29 on Friday, and man, am I gearing up for a stellar year! I can’t wait
to tell you more about my plans as they’re coming to fruition quite quickly here.
Last
year, I posted 28 Trainer-y Tips from My
28 Years, but this year I wanted to go in a different direction. Since
Strong Inside Out is no longer strictly a fitness site, I want to incorporate
more of what the last year has involved.
Today,
I’m going to give you the best of the best positive-thinking tips from 29 years
of implementing them all myself. I hope they help you as much as they’ve helped
me in my life!
1. Breathe. No matter how tough the situation, breathing is the
best way I’ve found to ground myself back in the present, and calm even the
harshest emotions.
2. Take time for yourself. If I don’t get at least one day a week in silence, just to sit and recharge, I
get super stressed out. I get anxious and even a little panicky. Even if you
don’t feel this way when you spend time alone, it’s important not to spread
yourself too thin. Choose the things that are most important to you and
concentrate on those; give those things your all. It’s better to be fully
committed to a few things, than half-assing your way through a lot.
3. Comparing yourself to others is
wasted energy. You are unique. Comparing your being to others’ in
beauty, brains, fitness, or anything else is a losing battle. You will never be
like everyone else because you are not meant to be. Trying to be “normal” is a
waste of the awesomeness that you are. Embrace those quirks that make you different
and stop should-ing your life away!
4. Don’t be afraid to be excited!!! I’m an enthusiastic
person. I get excited, I strike random poses, and I laugh loudly. When you
enjoy life and allow yourself to show the happiness you feel when you’re
feeling it, it becomes contagious. Your enthusiasm could brighten someone
else’s day.
5. Reach out. Feeling down? Talk to someone. It helps so much. I don’t know what
I’d do without my support system. If you feel
guilty for reaching out for help, please know that your cheerleaders want
you to feel better. They’re here for you because how you feel and who you are
is important to them. If you don’t feel comfortable reaching out to them, talk
to a professional who is qualified to help.
6. Keep your eyes on the prize. If you’re having a hard time achieving your goals,
take a step back and remind yourself why you’re working so hard. It’s easy to
lose sight of the big picture if our present is a struggle. Remembering that
there is a light at the end of the tunnel–that this struggle is for a
reason–can help get us through even the darkest times.
7. Don’t be afraid to give up a dream. Giving up my
“dream” of acting was one of the best things I did on my journey to finding
happiness. Sometimes, old dreams become nightmares, causing much negativity
that can tear your life apart. Let go of your stubbornness and have the courage
to look at the endless mud you’re trudging through from the outside. Is what
you’re fighting for worth it?
8. Give yourself a break. You are not perfect. No one is. But that’s ok because
perfect is quite boring if you ask me.
:) Don’t be so hard on yourself for failures; realize that they help you grow
stronger and move on.
9. Be ok with not being ok. Everyone has times of weakness. If you resist them,
pretending like it’s not happening; it’s bound to get worse, festering away
inside of you. Feel the pain and know that you’ll come out of it stronger.
10. Prove it to yourself. Nothing solidifies the belief that you can overcome
anything like going through it. Those tough times are a chance to prove to
yourself that you’re a fighter. Make each time after this easier to get through
by showing yourself that you can now.
11. Get creative. I write. Others draw, play music, assemble collages,
act, paint, knit, etc. Having a creative outlet is a great way to get all those
pent-up emotions out of your system so that you have the space to become more
positive.
12. Make a mantra. Mantras help me through so much of my day. I use them
in workouts, in trying situations, and even in the ones where I just really
want to do well. Mantras serve as highly personal reaffirmations to get you
back on track when you start to veer off. My favorite? “I am strong enough.”
13. Keep score of your wins. When I have my clients keep food journals, I ask them
to write down all the exercise they get in as well as their “opportunity
meals,” because I want them to be able to look back and see how they’ve
progressed. Keep a record of all your accomplishments so that, in those times you’re
feeling stalled or like you’re back-tracking, you can look back and see your
achievements on paper.
14. Be grateful. For what you have. For the potential to have what you don’t have. For the
lessons you’ve learned. For the strength you’ve earned. For the life you have.
15. Eat clean, think clean. Whenever I eat like crap, I feel like crap. My head
gets all muddy and I have trouble redirecting my thoughts in a positive
direction. I’ll spare you all the chemical and hormonal details of why eating
is directly linked to cognitive function, and I’ll just tell you that, well, it
is. If you ingest over-sugared, processed, chemically crap, you’re going to
have trouble focusing on the positive (or focusing altogether). Instead, aim
for a diet of foods that are as close to the source (ground, tree, sky, ocean,
etc) as possible.
16. Surround yourself with people you
want to be like. You are the sum of
the 5 people you spend the most time with. Make yourself awesome by hanging out
amidst awesomeness! Supportive, encouraging, and loving friends and family will
help you be a more positive person. With their help, you’ll surely become the
person you want to be.
17. Cut the cads. If you’re hanging out with people who drain you, tear
you down, or just don’t value your friendship, you’re being influenced by their
behavior whether you like it or not. These people can drag you down and try
their hardest to keep you from living the positive life you deserve… if you let
them. Don’t let them. Fire them before you get dragged too far down the wrong
hole.
18. Tell yourself you’re worth it… and
believe it! Now, I’m not talking
mirror work here. I’m talking just straight believing that you deserve
happiness and positivity in your life. You are worthy of the life you want
simply because you are here fighting for it. Never forget it.
19. Make a vision board (aka join
Pinterest). I have been making vision
boards for years! Not only are they fun to make, but looking at them is a
surefire way to bring me up if I’m feeling down. Gather together a bunch of
magazine pictures, words that inspire you, or even little souveniers (such as
key chains, coins, or toys) and post them all together to illustrate how you
want to live your life. Want an easier, more portable version? Join Pinterest!
It’s an awesome resource for us and you can bring it with you everywhere! If
you need some ideas, check out my boards by clicking here.
20. Commit to change. Change is hard. It gets uncomfortable at times
because we are only comfortable with what we know. In order to achieve change,
we must push ourselves outside our comfort zone. Know this going into it, and
you’ll save yourself a lot of anguish.
Join a group of like- minded people and
rediscover the purpose and meaning of your life.