Giving Yourself GRACE when You are Overwhelmed and Have Unhelpful Thoughts
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You've heard me say it before — we have no control over that first thought that comes into our mind, but our RESPONSE is 100% a choice.
Will you entertain it and spiral? Or do you do something about it? This is not a new concept, but knowing about it IS NOT enough. There's a missing piece and it has to do with how it's affecting you on an emotional and CONFIDENCE level. So get ready to be encouraged, you need this today. True grace. Let's go.
That first thought that comes up is innate. It stems from your past experiences and successes and failures and ALL the things. It's unique to YOU and what you've lived, been told, and believed.
What we often don't realize is when that first thought happens and WE JUST LET IT HAPPEN and go about our life instead of being aware of how we respond. That often happens because our brain is wired to take the path of least resistance.
So give yourself grace, mama.
Once you start noticing that initial thought it can be really easy to start criticizing yourself for your mind going there, but remember — it's happening because of your PAST and YOU do not have to live going forward dictated by that.
Instead of getting down on yourself, credit yourself for NOTICING that initial thought now and give yourself a pat on the back for choosing not to entertain a thought that's unhelpful!
Next time that initial unhelpful thought comes up and you DO SOMETHING about it, allow yourself to be proud of yourself for a second! That's a big deal.
So much of the population goes around letting their thoughts and their life happen to them instead of taking the initiative to GROW. But YOU mama, as a tough love mom, you are taking that initiative.
And it's not only making you better, it's forging a different path for your children and your children's children...
So keep it up, I’m so proud of you.
Are you ready to go from overwhelmed and stuck to disciplined and consistent in your journey?
Book your Starting Point Session and let's get you on track to your healthiest life!
FULL TRANSCRIPT
[00:00:00] I know you've heard me say this before. You have no control over that first thought that comes into your mind, but your response to it is 100% your choice. Are you going to entertain that thought if it's one of those negative unhelpful ones and spiral, or are you going to do something with it? Are you going to do something about that thought this is not a new concept.
It's not even my concept. This is widely talked about, but knowing about it is not. It's okay to know the concept, but we have to actually implement it. We have to actually practice it. So I want to encourage you today because sometimes that's the piece that's missing with this concept is actually following through and doing something about the thought.
So get your heart ready, get your head ready. You need this today.
Pay mama. Welcome to the tough love mom podcast. I know you're here because you're ready to get consistent and finally lose that weight. And you're not afraid of a little tough love, you [00:01:00] know, what to do to lose weight. But following through on those things feels and possible. You wish you could just feel like your strong, confident self again.
And want to be good example for your little ones, but you get thrown off by mom guilt and the unpredictability of motherhood. It's frustrating taking on your journey. Postpartum is hard, but it's not impossible. Hey, I'm Liz and I've been where you are. I gained a lot of weight in my pregnancy. 90 pounds.
And then 60 pounds, I needed to lose that weight to take control of my health. And honestly just wanted to feel like myself again, with the sustainable approach to weight loss, symbol, consistency, and working on my mindset. I lost it all in just over a year, both times. And I'm here to help you do the same.
I believe that we have an ingrained ability to figure out what we need to do, make it happen and do it in a way that Oz the world. Stop falling off the wagon, create solid routine and healthy habits, and finally feel your best inside and out all enjoying dyno nuggets on your salad. You [00:02:00] are in the right place.
We're about to transform your journey. My friend get pumped up. It is tough love times
before we dive in. I really, and really quick want to remind you about booking your starting point session, because if you feel stuck or. Or just overwhelmed with all that it takes to lose weight, right? We think, okay, we need to start working out and eat healthier and get a good routine going and maybe get up a little bit earlier.
That's a lot to take on at once. So where do you start? My job is not only to help you figure out where to start and how to stay consistent with that starting point and make it part of who you are. But my job is also to hold that space for you to process the mental side of things that are going on and stuff that we're going to talk about today.
In this episode, honestly, the biggest hurdle in making sustainable weight loss, a thing, and then like truly living a healthy life, making that your lifestyle. It is your mindset. That is the biggest hurdle we have to get over. It's [00:03:00] your mindset, it's your thinking. And that is what will transform alongside your.
In your starting point sessions. So go book yours today@thetoughlovemom.com backslash coaching. I only opened up eight new clients spots each month. So run literally don't walk. You need to go run to the website. The tough love mom.com backslash coaching and book. Stat. Okay. First thought and how you respond.
I got to give credit where credit is due. I first heard this concept from Keisha Fitzgerald of the empower her podcast and it blew my mind because it was the moment I realized and I hope you've had this moment learning this concept from me as well, but it was the moment I realized. Wow. Okay. Like it's okay for.
To think this initial thought, the reason that my life is the way it is and my habits are the way they are, is because I choose to do something about that thought that comes in, that isn't helpful. So that first thought that you're thinking. So let me give an example here. It's the mid-afternoon and you have this [00:04:00] habit of mindlessly snacking.
And so you go in there and for a moment you feel a little frustrated with yourself and you think your initial thought you feel that frustration and you go, oh, I'll just never be able to break this. That's like an initial innate thought that might come up and that's, you know, based on past experiences, based on your previous choices and habits and all of that.
A lot of the times we don't even recognize or thinking that initial thing. And we don't even recognize that might be unhelpful because it's so natural for our mind to go there. And we either just let the thought go by or we entertain it and keep thinking about that unhelpful thought. So it stems from, again, your past experiences, successes, failures, all the things.
Cause sometimes that initial thought in certain circumstances, like when I go to do a really tough workout, I'm like, all right, this is gonna be tough, but it's going to be fun because. I have a lot of fun when I do really physically hard things. And that's based on a lot of past experience doing really physically hard things.
It's fun. I feel the endorphins. I remember the [00:05:00] endorphins. So my initial thought goes to a lot of the times, my successes, the fun that it is, the way I get to grow from it mentally. But when we're facing situations that are hard and that we've not been successful in or they're areas we're frustrated about our initial thoughts can often be unhelpful.
That, that first thing that comes to mind that often we don't have control over, it's unique to you. And it's unique to what you've lived, what you've been told, what you've believed about yourself. Kind of like that definition of mindset we talked about last week, the first thought stems from your mindset about the current thing.
It is again, a set of beliefs it's based on your life. It's based on your experiences it's based on your past. And what we often don't realize is that that first thought happens and we just let it happen. We just let it go by whether it's helpful or unhelpful, we just have it. And then we go about our lives instead of being aware of even thinking that thought, and then.
Intentional about how we [00:06:00] respond to it. Often we can respond without much intention because our brain is wired to take the path of least resistance. Okay. That's just how your that's, how your brain is wired. It is wired to go the easy way, which more times than not. If you're used to thinking that thought, if you don't even notice that you're thinking these unhelpful thoughts, your mind just going to entertain it or let it go by because that's what it's used to do.
And it's not easy for you to face that thought and do something about it and think a different thought. I mean, it was our initial innate thoughts, so it makes sense that our brain wants to entertain it. Right. Or it makes sense. Our brain just wants to ignore it because that's what we're used to doing.
Again, you've heard my example a hundred times about me saying I'm not a runner. Now I've done years of endurance, sports, years of triathlons. I did a years of running and I still am running. And for years before that I told myself I was not a runner. It took so much time for me to change that. And so much mileage on my [00:07:00] own two feet for me to change that.
So I just want to remind you that it's okay. If your initial thought is something that you don't want it to be. If you're starting to recognize that when it comes up and you're feeling that feeling of frustration, because you're like, oh, why do I keep thinking this? Why does my brain keep going there?
It's because your brain is wired to take the easy route it's used to entertaining that thought it's used to you telling yourself I'm just never going to be consistent in whatever. So give yourself grace mama. Okay. Once you start noticing that initial thought, it'll be really easy to start criticizing yourself for your mind going there, but remember it's happening because of your past, and you do not have to live going forward, dictated by that.
Instead of getting down on yourself, I want you to credit yourself for noticing that initial thought now, right? That's a step that is a baby step. That is progress. If you've, for years, not noticed that initial unhelpful thought. And now you're starting to notice when it comes up and you're going, Ooh, like that doesn't feel [00:08:00] very good.
Why am I thinking that let's think something else. That's a huge step that you've made. So give yourself credit for that instead of getting down on yourself for thinking that thought again. Okay. Give yourself a pat on the back for choosing not to entertain a thought. That's unhelpful. Give yourself grace.
That's what that. Okay, don't beat yourself up. Recognize that you're doing something about the thoughts that used to hold you back. Next time that initial unhelpful thought comes up like, oh, I always do this at the end of the day. And I'm always snacking at the end of the day, or why am I always so frustrated with my kids?
When a thought comes up, that's unhelpful and it's critical of yourself, or it's just something that's held you back. It's a belief about yourself that is telling you you're not capable of. Next time you notice that and you do something about it. I want you to give yourself a second to just be proud of yourself.
That's a big deal. It really is. That's how we truly make change. Like you want to make a lifestyle change. I want that for you. That's what [00:09:00] my job is, but it all starts in your mind. And what you're thinking about yourself, a lot of the world, so much of the world, and this is why I do this so much of it goes around.
The population in general, just letting their thoughts and their life happened to them without even noticing it. And so obviously if they don't notice it, they can't take the initiative to grow and to change. But you mama, as a tough love mom, you are. And what's amazing about that is you're doing you doing that is impacting your kids and the next generation and the next generation.
So it's not only making you better. It is forging a different path, not only in your. But it's forging a different path for your children and your children's children. So keep it up. Okay. I'm so proud of you. You get after it mama, before you go. Thank you for spending this time with me on the tough love mom podcasts.
At this episode, encouraged you in any way. The number one way you can thank me [00:10:00] is to leave her a review, letting me know how the show has impacted you. Send this episode to another mom friend, or take a screenshot posted on social media and tag me so I can personally thank you for helping me on this journey to impact thousands of moms.
I'm so grateful to be out of starting with your sister until next time. Get after it.
