This research utilized Rosenberg’s Self-Esteem Scale to divide participants into a high-esteem and a low-esteem group. Participants were then asked to write down any thoughts and feelings they had during a four-minute period; every fifteen minutes throughout this period, a doorbell would ring prompting half of each group (high-esteem and low-esteem) to tell themselves “I am a lovable person.”

After this exercise, participants completed two questionnaires designed to assess mood and two questionnaires designed to assess current self-esteem. The researchers discovered that the positive statements increased the differences between the two groups; those with high self-esteem already felt better about themselves while those with low self-esteem felt worse after repeating a validation of their lovability.

Positive self-talk seems to only be helpful if you already believe what you are saying to yourself. If you are convincing yourself rather than reminding yourself, you are likely to internally contradict these statements and actually convince yourself that these statements are not true.

I have yet to find research that contradicts the power of our thoughts, but I am refining my strategy for teaching clients to harness this power. You must create your own script, rather than repeating those things that others tell you that you should believe. A friend, counselor, or loved one may be able to help you identify those things that you do believe. Create your own list of reminders of your positive characteristics and successes. Be realistic and focus on the small things, those things that truly make you unique. Repeating positive things that you do believe more often can keep you in a positive frame of mind and increase your self-esteem.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Dangers of Positive Thinking

Our thoughts are more powerful than you likely think. Have you ever sat around telling ghost stories? Did you feel scared? Have you ever had a physical reaction while reading a romance novel? Your body responds to your thoughts. Your emotions respond to your body. Although emotions create a physiological change, creating a physiological change can alter your emotions because they are so tightly paired. Research has shown that simply arranging your facial muscles into a smile sends a message to your brain that you are experiencing happiness, and your brain then releases the chemicals that induce happy feelings.

Have you harnessed the power of your thoughts? Do you believe in yourself and your ability to achieve your goals? Can you visualize what you want to achieve? Do you know how to think yourself happier?

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

The Power of Sweet and Sour Thoughts

The stoic philosopher Epictetus reminded us that “what upsets people is not things themselves but their judgments about the things.” Every person has a somewhat different reaction to the same event. Some will find family gatherings to cause distress, while others will find that the effort required to prepare and travel for such events are well worth the renewal received. I have a very dear friend who in one week experienced her husband leaving her, being fired from her job, and being diagnosed with breast cancer; she considered it an opportunity for a new start and to refocus on herself.

What my friend knows is that stress is the essence of growth. Just like weight training, we require resistance to grow. Those who have trained for a marathon understand that training is stressing yourself on a regular basis, pushing yourself beyond your normal limits and allowing yourself to recover, increasing your capacity. Those who are the most practiced at dealing with things and have the most to deal with are the most capable. Have you ever heard the phrase if you want something done give it to someone who is busy? It is easier to add in one more unplanned store to your list of errands than to get out of the house to go to that one place if you were not intending on leaving home. It is also important to remember that we are most at risk of death within the first six months of retirement; we need stress to survive!

See the rest of Brooke’s series on stress:
Stress: The Bad
Stress: The Ugly

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Stress: The Good

How many times have you watched The Biggest Loser or Dr. Phil’s Ultimate Weight Loss Race or even Oprah’s Biggest Loser episode while eating? We eat more when we are focused on something else, not paying attention to what we are doing, and not paying attention to our bodies. Why do you choose to watch these shows in the first place? Do you relate to the contestants? Are you on a similar journey? Are you looking for new ideas to help you along the path? Do you consider these shows to be more family-oriented entertainment than other shows on during prime time and want to communicate a healthy lifestyle to your children? What are you thinking when you make the choice to watch these shows?

What are you thinking when you choose to eat while viewing? Should I first be asking if you are thinking or perhaps it’s become a habit to watch and munch? When you reach for something to eat is it to enhance the experience, to treat yourself, for dinner; what is your motivation? How do you decide what to eat? Are you eating apple slices, toast, pasta, or ice cream? Are you making the choice based on nutritional value or ease in preparation in the short commercial break?

Are you thinking about the habits that make up your day? How does this line up with your goals? Are you thinking about what you’re thinking? What are you thinking?!?

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

What are You Thinking When You Eat?

Overcome emotional overeating by managing inappropriate reactions to stress; solving problems rather than dwelling on them; changing self-defeating thoughts, since more often than not, feelings follow thoughts; gaining closure on unfinished emotional business; and learning new ways to cope without resorting to food

“Overcome emotional overeating.” Emotional overeating is using food to help you cope with difficult feelings or situations, or using comfort food or food ‘drugs’ to make you feel better.

“Managing inappropriate reactions to stress.” Food is not the right reaction to stress, but not eating isn’t an appropriate reaction either. The best response to a stressful situation is to utilize relaxation techniques and get yourself to the best state from which to address the issue.

“Solving problems rather than dwelling on them.” There are two important parts to this statement. It does you no good to dwell on a situation that may occur (worry) because it may not. When a negative situation does arise, don’t live there; find what you can do to make the situation better for yourself and do it. At times, you may be able to completely resolve the issue; at other times, you can resolve yourself to survive it.

“Changing self-defeating thoughts, since more often than not, feelings follow thoughts.” To utilize REBT, you need to first become aware of your thoughts and feelings, learn the difference between them, and dispute your irrational thoughts to come to a more helpful truth.

“Gaining closure on unfinished emotional business.” We all have unfinished emotional business to varying degrees, and we are all aware of it to varying degrees as well. None of us have arrived; no one is fully actualized, so we all have room for growth. I believe the concern here is in the extent to which it is interfering with your daily living and adding to your stress. Food and weight can be used to avoid many issues. Dr. Phil is instructing, instead, to face these head on until you can find some peace. At times, this requires the help of a professional coach or therapist. Utilize all resources available to you to discover as much peace as possible.

“Learning new ways to cope.” There are numerous options available to you to help you cope in a way that is helpful and in line with your goals. Common suggestions include seeking support, exercising, journaling, and meditating.

Post from: Diets in Review Blog

Healing Feelings from Dr. Phil’s Keys to Weight Loss