Practical Steps to Reframe Your Thoughts
I remember quickly looking down at my legs while driving and starting to cry.
My thighs were bigger than I wanted them to be. And to add to that, I had just eaten, so my stomach felt bigger than I wanted it to be. My mind was so deep into thinking negatively about my size. For months, well actually years, I was so engrossed in the size of my legs. You see, my identity was completely wrapped up in that (along with other things). I have a more athletic build, which I am very thankful for because it allowed me to play sports that I really enjoy. However, when I wasn’t playing a sport, my body was not how I wanted it to look. These thoughts were starting to define who I was. For years I spent time in this negative self-talk.
To be clear, I have not mastered or beat negative self-talk for the rest of my life. Sadly, this will always be a battle, but here's the thing; I have tools and steps to quiet those thoughts, and have practiced how to replace those thoughts with what is true and real about myself.
Can you relate? Have you tried and tried to get rid of those negative thoughts or lies about yourself, but you can’t seem to shake them? Are you believing the lies and letting yourself be defined by them? Maybe you’ve been told lies from someone else and you’ve started to adopt them. In my last blog, I talked about why your brain keeps going back to negative thoughts. Now, I will give you practical steps to start reframing your thoughts. Craig Groeschel, author of Winning the War in Your Mind: Change Your Thinking, Change Your Life explains reframing your thoughts as, “When we identify & correct our irrational thinking, we experience cognitive reframing.”
Steps to start reframing negative thoughts into positive ones:
Identify what lies you are believing about yourself - write them down
Recognize when those lies try to pop into your mind
Stop those thoughts from continuing and causing you to spiral
Replace those lies with what is actually real and true about yourself
Practice these steps and start to notice the difference it makes on your life
And…
Find accountability with someone you trust and get these thoughts out of your head so you are not doing these steps alone
Choose quality friends that will help you quiet these lies, rather than dig you deeper into negative thoughts
Build a positive community that encourages you to overcome your negative thoughts
Focus on others so you don’t become so engrossed with your own thoughts and forget to invest in others
Hire a Life Coach to give you the encouragement, accountability, and resources you need to begin reframing your thoughts
