ARTICLE: STOP PUNISHING YOURSELF
The world can be a very judgemental place and not just the health and fitness world! We are possibly all guilty of it at certain times, but what I notice the most is how hard people are on themselves even more so than on other people. We tend to look at what others are doing better than us and feel inadequate if we cannot keep up. I have come to realise though that nobody has all their shit together (excuse the language) we are all just out here trying to do our best so instead of punishing ourselves it is far more productive to prioritise, analyse, make small changes when needed or desired and most of all stop seeking perfection across all areas of our life.
I can tell you straight I have this health and fitness lifestyle nailed. I know how to train right, how to eat properly and how to balance it with my life. Is there room for improvement? Always. However, I would say I feel pretty comfortable and confident with where I am at. I suppose I should feel this way because it is after all my career! However, there are many other areas where I feel completely inadequate and look at other people and wonder how they are able to do it all. One of these areas is definitely business. I absolutely love running a business, but constantly feel as though I should be doing better, as though someone else would make a much better job of it than me and I get frustrated that it is not all going to plan.
Impending motherhood is another source of worry! From the moment I forgot to bring my baby book to the scan and was met at every juncture with “ooh, did you forget your book” I could tell it was going to be a bumpy road ahead! Also, will I take to it as well as other mum’s I know? How will I juggle it all with work? I am sure these are all the usual worries that new mums have, but I can’t help but be hard on myself about whether or not I am making the right decisions.
What I have come to realise though is that everyone is exactly the same way! Most of us feel pretty confident in certain areas and completely inadequate in others. I suppose it would be pretty hard to excel in every single area, and if you know someone that does this it is probably best just to keep that to yourself! The issue then is not about what we are not good at, the issue is about how we react to it. Too often we come down very hard on ourselves as we measure ourselves against others successes. We think if they are succeeding at it why can’t we and we punish ourselves in various ways, often using food or alcohol as a crutch to make us feel better!
We need to stop punishing ourselves though! We need to accept that either we are not good at something and move on or if it is something we consider to be important, in my case I suppose motherhood should fall under this bracket or for others it may be their health and fitness goals then punishing ourselves and making ourselves feel bad about the situation is not going to help in any way! We need to analyse the situation and make small changes that will help us get better. it is amazing how much any action towards bettering ourselves makes us feel empowered instead of frustrated. So next time you are comparing yourself to your ultra fit friend or kale loving neighbour, stop looking at what they are doing, focus on making a positive change for yourself instead. One that will make you alone feel good. As for me, I am off to read some baby books!
Fit Bird
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