STOP LISTENING TO YOUR FAULTY BRAIN
Our brains are hardwired to think negatively. Soak that in for a second. There is a part of our brain called the Amygdala and its sole purpose is to feed us negative thoughts so that we stay alive. Now, I am not saying you won’t, but it’s highly unlikely that you’re going to die in the gym because you caught someone’s eye when you were trying a new exercise machine.
I KNOW THAT YOU KNOW THAT
However, when we are bombarded with 60 to 80 thousand thoughts a day, 80% of which are negative, it starts to get a little bit challenging to ignore. The reality is, 98% of what you worry about never comes true. And I can already hear those people saying…
… “that means there’s a 2% chance it will come true!”
I appreciate that these odds may not be for everyone, but the reality is the only way to move past these negative thoughts, is to accept them and take the power away from them. If instead, we choose to suppress these negative thoughts, then they will inevitably come back later with interest!
If you have ever tried submerging a ball on holiday, you know that the moment you release it, it will rush to the surface and jump out of the water. Sometimes, it will even hit you in the face.
If we suppress our negative thoughts, they will inevitably come back later and with more power, potentially hitting us in the face.
TRANSFORM YOUR THOUGHTS TO TRANSFORM YOUR BODY
If we dwell on the negative thoughts, we can allow them to develop into unconscious rules that we have about going to the gym. Therefore, we can develop resistance towards going to the gym from thoughts that were developed by our negative brain, which have a minimal chance of occurring.
Unconscious Rules Example: "I need to look good and know exactly what I am doing in order to go to the gym/use that machine/do that exercise."
These unconscious rules form intentions that dictate our subsequent thoughts, feelings, and behaviours. The first time you went to the gym a seed was planted in your mind, this is your intention. When we next go to the gym, we water this seed and what flowers are the thoughts, feelings, and behaviours about going to the gym from our first visit.
The ‘intention seeds’ that are planted could look like these:
Seed A |
I need to be fit; I need to be strong; I can’t make a mistake and look silly |
Thoughts = Anxious |
Feeling = Anxiety |
Behaviour = Tense, avoidant, and hesitant |
Seed B |
I will train with freedom, for fun, and enjoyment |
Thoughts = Positive |
Feeling = Happy |
Behaviour = Flow, approaching challenges, and confidence |
Clearly, we want to plant ‘Seed B’ when we go to the gym, however, it can be hard to wipe out these negative thoughts. Therefore, we can create some constructive rules for your training that will lead to you adhering to exercise and enjoying the process.
2 TIPS TO OVERCOME JUDGMENT IN THE GYM
We now know that judgement is a protective mechanism that is coming from the negative voice in our brain, which is hardwired to do this task. Therefore, we need to manage how we listen to this negative voice so that we can observe, accept, and detach from it. Below are two strategies to help you do just that:
1. Give your negative voice a name
Through doing this we are separating ourselves from the negative thoughts, realising that they are not grounded in truth. Naming your negative voice as something or someone that highlights this absurdity, helps give this abstract thought and face from which we can separate. Some examples include:
a. Negative Nancy
b. Caveman Robin (your name not mine!)
c. A Cartoon character
d. Someone you know that is overly negative (We all have someone in mind!)
2. Addressing your thoughts from a distance
This allows us to detach from the negative voice and realise that these thoughts are not here to help us. We change the process of thinking about these thoughts to:
a. “I am having the thought that…”
b. “I am noticing that I am having the thought that…”
We begin with step ‘a’ and after practising this we progress into step (b), increasing the distance from the thought even further. Repeat these statements followed by the negative thoughts to observe, accept, and detach from them.
If you have struggled to get into the gym to start your fitness journey, are worried about going back after a break, or are due to start a new training block with exercises you’re not too confident on. Then I hope this blog has helped you to observe, accept, and detach from the inevitable and uncontrollable negative thoughts that we ALL experience. I would love to hear how you address your negative thoughts, so please feel free to share your process in the comments! If you would like help developing an approach that will help you to accept and move past the negative voice in your head, then please get in contact with me at robin@autonomypsychology.com
Best Wishes
Robin Hughes
Mental Performance Coach and Sports Counsellor located near Chelmsford, Essex, UK supporting athletes, exercisers, and coaches worldwide with Online Sports Psychology Services. Specialising in working within the fitness industry.
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