Spring is finally here and that means it is time to clean out those closets, clean the cars, the cupboards, the house, the office and you guessed it, our brains too. It has been an especially long and cold winter for us canadians and with the low winter temperatures came the winter blues and a lot of negative thinking.
Spring is also a popular time for detoxing our bodies. When we feel low emotionally we tend to make bad health choices-we exercise less and eat more. Seeing our poor choices manifest in our bodies is often the wake-up call we need to recondition our bodies and cleanse our diets but lets not forget what drives those behaviours- our minds.Spring is a great time to cleanse our brains too.
So where do we begin you ask? I have created the following simple 4 step “Mental Detox Strategy” that we can all use to cleanse any and all limiting mental patterns:
1) NAC-Where an elastic band around your wrist and snap it every time you catch yourself engaging in any kind of negative self-talk. Doing so will help you identify where there is work to be done. It is a great way to call yourself out and remind you to “snap out of it.”
2) Thought Log-Keep a memo in your phone called your ‘Thought Log.” Use it to keep account of all the negative self-talk you engage in each day.
3) What does it all mean-At the end of each day, reflect on your TL and ask yourself where these thoughts are coming from? What must you believe is true to be thinking that way?
4) Flip the Script-Challenge yourself to reframe the belief into something more empowering and self-supportive. Remember that toxic limiting beliefs lead to toxic limiting emotions which often times lead to self-sabatoging behaviours.
I absolutely love this strategy for eliminating any and all limiting mental patterns because it reprograms the toxic thoughts into nourishing empowering ones. This is a plan I often follow myself and can happily report, one that works super well. I would love to hear how it works for all of you…please share the love by leaving a comment and sharing with your loved ones.
As always, here’s hoping this performance-enhancing strategy helps you to make every performance count!
-Coach Susan
