Action Step #2................FLIP IT!!!
Flip it: these two words can become your favorite new mantra.
Whenever I catch myself having one of those mean thoughts that I believe is really true, I remind myself that I can "flip it," meaning I can choose to change how I'm feeling about myself in that moment. No joke, it's within your power to turn this around. You can re-program your mind, just like you started to do in action step #1, so that when you look in the mirror, you actually start to love what you see instead of automatically tearing yourself down. You're probably wondering how to do this, right? Hang in there with me, I'll explain.
Negative thoughts have a lot of power. Think back to a recent bad day you had. How many times that day would you say you told yourself something mean? I'm guessing a lot. If you keep telling yourself you look like crap, then that becomes your belief, and whether you realize it or not, your brain is then programmed to seek out other "flaws." It becomes a habit.
The way you break this habit is by creating a command that will stop the flow of those negative thoughts. It can be anything like, "Stop it" or "Knock it off" or "No way-this is not happening anymore!" Or whatever creation of words works for you. If you had an awful houseguest, would you allow them to keep yelling nasty comments at you? I don't think so! Just like you would need to take care of yourself by showing them the front door, you need to do the same within yourself. So when a mean thought comes up, you can "flip it" by commanding it to stop in its tracks. Behaviorists say that if you want to break a habit, it takes 28 days......so let's consider today day one of your new programming. 27 more to go! -ha!
Telling the negative thoughts to go away isn't enough, though; you also need to replace them with some positive ones. Just like the negative thoughts are contagious, the good news is so are the positive ones. So I want you to try something, okay? The next time you stand in front of a mirror, instead of automatically zeroing in on what you hate, ask yourself, What do I like about what I see? C'mon, don't tell me you can't find one thing you like. Appreciating even one feature can start your mental list of positive thoughts flowing., which you can then use to replace the negative ones. By reprogramming yourself to seek out the positive, you create a much better habit.
This might feel a little weird at first, but I swear it works. This is the secret to rewiring your inner beliefs and building confidence. Don't worry if some days you fall back into your old patterns. You can start fresh any day, any time-it's an ongoing practice.
See why flip it can become your favorite new mantra? :)
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