Self-belief: Think you can, then prove yourself right
They say you have to see it to believe it but, when it comes to our health and fitness, sometimes we have to believe it first in order to see the results, says Ali Roff
3 minute read
We all want to start investing in ourselves again in the new year, and one of the most popular resolutions is to get healthier. Every January, I set goals (this year: feel confident in my wedding dress) and make promises to myself (less reliance on sugary pick-me-ups, more meditation and hiking). But, by February, the resolutions begin to slip and I lose motivation.
Itโs often because doubt creeps in. I think, โThis isnโt working.โ I tell myself the promises I made are too difficult to keep. But I have a new trick up my sleeve for these creeping self doubts.
Thereโs no bear!
Thereโs more neural activity in the brain when it encounters negative stimuli โ weโre inclined towards a โnegative biasโ. Why? Itโs a survival technique; weโre always looking for the bear about to attack. Even though itโs likely that today there are no bears waiting to pounce, the nervous system has been evolving for 600 million years and we are genetically trained to look for the negatives in life to keep us safe. But from what? Failure? Change? Last year, I decided to start working out in the mornings to keep my evenings free. My mind told me, โThereโs no way,โ and came up with any excuse why I couldnโt get up 45 minutes earlier. And I hear these exact excuses almost every time I coach someone to start this habit themselves. There is always resistance โ we justify it by finding evidence for these negative, limiting beliefs.
But, although weโre evolutionarily predispositioned this way, the brain is adaptable if we practise thinking differently. This is called neuroplasticity. By beginning to look for positive evidence, which proves that we can achieve our goals rather than canโt, we start to rewire our brains and develop new neural pathways that support positive bias and the ability to automatically think, โYes! I can do that.โ
When, this year, I decided to wake up another 15 minutes earlier to meditate before my workout, I found myself coming up with the same evidence. But I know these are just stories. Iโve changed my morning routine before, so why couldnโt I do it again?
Instead of finding weak and insignificant evidence to back up a limiting belief that would only hold me back, Iโm looking for evidence that makes me feel positive in believing I can do it โ for one, the huge fact that Iโve already mastered the habit of waking up early and changed my life for the better once before. Itโs easy to set goals and make promises, but itโs our mindset and belief system that make them happen, and thatโs all in our control. For me, thatโs an enormously empowering thought.
3 steps to erasing self-doubt
- Notice it. Start to identify the stories youโre telling yourself that could be holding you back from making healthy changes.
- Challenge your beliefs. Examine your excuses and ask: โAre these true? How do I know? How are these beliefs keeping me โliving smallโ?โ
- Make new beliefs. Build trust that you can keep up healthy habits by switching focus; looking for positive, not negative, evidence that proves you can.
Ali’s debut book The Wellfulness Project will be published December 26th 2019 by Aster. Follow Ali at @AliRoff and visit her website aliroff.com to find out more about her and her wellness retreats.
Image: Laura Doherty