Do you recognize pushing yourself with negative self talk, berating yourself if/ when you’re not feeling motivated. We think self criticism is the mindset tool we need to get ourselves back on track. To get to our desired results. But it’s not. Praise and support will make us much more motivated to follow through on our training plan. It sounds so counterintuitive - like the recipe to just stay on the couch/ in the bed. But we only hide from our intentions because we’re not feeling good about ourselves. And then we even get some feel good dopamine from chewing ourselves out - which is why it’s highly addictive and hard to stop. I share 3 steps to create awareness if you’re caught in self-blame.
1st: start by paying attention to your thoughts. Spend some time noticing your thoughts around running especially as you get close to a run. Are they defeating or encouraging?
2nd: is there a pattern to these thoughts? And is there a trigger. Maybe your reason for skipping a run is entirely unrelated to the run but founded in self blame over something else which is causing internal conflict? Stress causing overeating or fights with your family maybe and stuck in self blame leaving you mentally drained and not ready for a run.
3rd: Once you have some more clarity you can start to change it gradually. I find gratitude is really helpful. Gratitude journaling I believe is very helpful because it helps you inhabit a more positive space.
This is the gratitude journaling format I've been using for years.
With gratitude,
Stine
