Finding Your Yes: A Powerful Strategy for Shifting from Negative Habits to Positive Ones

Try this short experiment and say the following statements to yourself: I want to stop eating junk food. I want to stop yelling at my kids. I want to stop worrying about things I can’t control. (Feel free to substitute behaviors that might be more relevant in your life). Notice how this feels in your body when you say these things to yourself. Do you feel tight and constricted or more open and expansive? Do you feel motivated and energized to change these habits, or do you tend to feel stuck, closed off, or perhaps even some sense of guilt or shame? Now try these statements out (and again feel free to change them to fit the behaviors that are relevant in your life): I want to commit to making food choices that support and nourish radiant health and wholeness. I want to parent my kids so that they feel deeply supported and valued; I want to fully engage in as many precious, present moments of my life as possible. Notice how this feels in your body as you say these things, and ask yourself the same questions as above. Chances are, these first and second statements have a different feeling tone for you.  To simplify this experiment even further, you might say the word “no” out loud several times and notice what happens in your body. Now say the word “yes” several times. For most people, the first has a feeling of resisting or rejecting something, and it feels constricted and closed, whereas the second has a feeling of embracing or moving toward something that is mor...
Source: World of Psychology - Category: Psychiatry & Psychology Authors: Tags: Binge Eating Eating Disorders Habits Happiness Mindfulness Personal Self-Help Binge Eating Disorder Habit Change Habit Formation Negativity Optimism self-compassion Source Type: blogs