3 Things to Say When You’re Down on Yourself

Down on Yourself? Repeat After Me

Last year I became crystal clear on the Hater inside of me. I went through a phase of some serious hatin’ on no one other than…myself.

Through the process I learned that 1) self-loathing is very much a part of the human condition. It’s a concept that we all face, and 2) it will never go away unless you truly address it.

For me, I had to force myself to discover the reasons exactly why I like myself. If I didn’t find the reasons why I’m “good” I would simply continue to be a Hater. And that is absolutely no way for anyone to live.

I discovered that my yuck feelings about myself would peak whenever I was slacking in my workouts. Yep, I slack in my workouts at times too, just like you.

The problem is that negative self-talk feeds into a vicious cycle. For me, it went something like this:

“I feel like crap because I have been drinking too much beer and skipping my workouts.”

“I know that I’ll feel better if I just get back into the gym.”

“Yeah…but I feel like crap and don’t want to go to the gym.”

“I feel like crap and I’m bloated. Forget it, I’ll get back on track tomorrow…I suck.”

Now, there is a bit of cheekiness to this. I realize that two weeks out of the gym don’t make me “out of shape” and even though I feel bloated, I look just fine. But I’m not talking about the reality here. I’m talking about a twisted story that plays out in my head. And I know that this same story plays out for you.

I know this, because I’ve been coaching women for over 20 years now.

Tweetable: “I may not be where I want to be, but I am taking action, and I’m going to get there.” @WStrengthNation

 Your inner, emotional conversations do influence the outward picture of your health, wellness and energy. I was working with one of my coaching clients and she mentioned that the only way her workouts were going to better was if she could get herself off of sugar. And to get off of sugar she needed to address and resolve her inner, emotional issues and triggers. This is a common approach to mind, body and spirit conversations.

Additionally I like to offer a new perspective. Your body is literally controlled by your brain. Yes, everything comes back to how your brain processes and disseminates information. Hormones, chemicals and neurotransmitters heavily influence your brain. What you eat, and how you exercise influences all of those messengers because those chemicals are created in your organs. Your organs respond to what you eat and how you move. You can literally train your brain to have better thoughts and emotions by eating differently and exercising differently. And this is exactly why I am a massive proponent for strength training.

Yes, address the emotions in your head and heart and tackle your challenges there.

And while you do that, remember that your strength workouts are the foundation to a happier mind, body and spirit.

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And lastly,

Today’s #Strengthspo

“Do your little bit of good where you are; it’s those little bits of good put together that overwhelm the world.”


― Desmond Tutu

Stay strong, friend.