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HOW TO BE MORE KIND TO YOURSELF DURING YOUR WEIGHT LOSS JOURNEY
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We all have days (and even weeks) where we feel that everything is a struggle, and particularly when we are working hard to lose weight, it is easy to slip into old habits and start thinking negatively of ourselves.
When we think about kindness, we often think about how to be kind to others. But how many of us consider being just as kind to ourselves?
Here are some ideas of how to start being more kind to yourself during your weight loss journey.
Remove the idea of perfection and give yourself recognition
Perfection is unachievable and therefore will set you up to fail. During your weight loss journey you are more than likely to have an end goal weight, and this is great, but instead of looking at the end goal, it is much better to set yourself small achievable steps to help keep you motivated. Regularly give yourself recognition and a huge pat-on-the-back for every goal achieved, however small it may seem. Have you exercised for 30 minutes that day? Made some healthy substitutions in your meal choices? Made it to the end of the week and lost weight? Congratulations! You’re doing a great job! Don’t forget to make a note about non scale victories e.g. able to tie your own shoe laces.
Don’t beat yourself up if you slip up
If you make a mistake, remember that you are a human, with strengths and weaknesses, and that you are doing your best. If you slip up and have an evening of going back into old eating habits, accept that it has happened, move on and start afresh the next day. Accept that changing your old habits may take some time and won’t be an immediate thing. Instead, try to identify and understand triggers involved.
Tell yourself the things you would tell your best friend
You wouldn’t say negative and demeaning things to your best friend, so why would you say those things to yourself? Remind yourself regularly of your positive qualities, start creating regular positive mantras and don’t allow your mindset to drag you down. Be your own cheerleader!
Avoid comparing yourself to anyone else and build positive relationships
Each person’s weight loss journey is an individual process and therefore everyone will achieve different results in different periods of time. It is difficult, but try and avoid comparing your own progress with that of anyone else - keep working hard and you’ll get there! Spend your time with people who lift you up and work hard on building positive relationships both in and outside of the weight loss community.
Allow yourself time for self-care
Sometimes, weight loss can be an all consuming process. With busy lives, jobs, homes and families to take care of, it is often easy to forget that we need some much-needed time to ourselves to rest and recharge, even if it is just occasionally. Self-care has become an incredibly popular term over the last decade and includes everything that encourages staying physically and mentally healthy. This can include basic daily things from eating healthily, exercising, keeping a high level of personal hygiene and going to the doctors when we are ill, to indulging ourselves in activities that bring us joy and help us to relax - meditation and breathing exercises, reading, taking a bath and making time for creative activities like painting, drawing, writing and music. Whenever possible, give yourself time to relax and enjoy the things that you love the most. Don’t forget SELFCARE doesn’t mean you’re being selfish and don’t let anyone think you are.
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