The SECRET to weight loss and sticking with healthy habits is (drum roll please)…
>>> SELF-COMPASSION <<<
We are all taught the OPPOSITE: You need to be a self-criticizer…you need to get serious…you need to be a bully…to motivate yourself into healthy habits.
BUT…research finds that being KIND to yourself as opposed to beating yourself up, leads to healthier actions.
THIS meta-analysis looked at 15 research studies of more than 3,000 people and discovered a link between self-compassion and eating better, exercising more, getting more restful sleep, and stressing less. People who were more self-compassionate practiced these healthy habits more often. Whoa.
*BONUS study* When researchers taught dieters to practice self-compassion after eating a donut they ate less…while the dieters who beat themselves up ate more.
LESSON: Self-compassion is the KEY to consistent healthy habits.
How can you start practicing self-compassion? When you catch yourself saying negative, self-critical things that make you feel guilty and shameful…CHOOSE to say the opposite instead. Read more about the Catch & Flip method of creating happier & healthier self-talk >>HERE<<.
Giving ourselves a break & accepting our imperfections is the first step toward better health. Practicing self-compassion helps stop the cycle of self-sabotage. #BeNice
