Day 42: Staying Motivated

Wow, this course has been a heavy one, hasn’t it? We’ve learnt a LOT about how important our health becomes during this transition, and what we need to be doing. The question now is…where do we find the time, energy, and motivation?

Many of us have been told what to expect during menopause in terms of the physical effects. What they don’t always tell us is that we’re going to go through emotionally. The changes in our bodies make us feel sad, irritable, anxious. Is it a surprise that we’re left exhausted and totally unmotivated? Well it shouldn’t be! It’s so common for us to have “those days” when we are just out of sorts and not ourselves. And when that happens, who feels like worrying about self-care?

These are times when we start thinking of a million reasons not to be doing what we know we need to do. These are also times where I want you to remember the power of your thoughts.

Thoughts and beliefs play such a powerful role in determining how we feel and, ultimately, how we act. If you think positively about something, you’re more likely to feel positive about it. Conversely, if you think negatively about something, you’re more likely to feel more negatively about it. It really doesn’t matter whether or not your thoughts or beliefs are factual. Our negative thoughts can distort our reality and make us believe things that are not true. Your beliefs determine how you feel. And how you feel determines your actions.

If you find yourself thinking negatively or doubting that you can make the changes you want to make, there are things you can do. You can challenge and overcome those negative thoughts, paving the way to choose behaviors that can improve your health and well-being.

Let’s talk about some of these strategies.

Number 1 – affirmations. These are powerful, positive statements we make about ourselves, and remember – we believe what we tell ourselves. When we flood our minds with positive thoughts, we start to believe in ourselves and feel more positive. And what happens with thoughts and feelings? They determine our behavior.

As we enter menopause, our self-confidence and our self-image can really take a blow. The changes can be distressing and send us into a spiral of negativity. It’s supposed to be a time to redefine who we are and embrace who we’re becoming. But sometimes, negativity takes over and stops us in our tracks.

Using positive affirmations can counteract that thinking in a big way. The point is to begin reshaping that internal dialogue that can keep us stuck and unmotivated into one that keeps us positive and motivated. Take some time to think of positive statements you want to remind yourself about everyday. Here’s one to get you started:

“I am investing in my health because I respect my body and the changes it’s going through.”

Try starting with that and observe the power of positive thoughts.

Let’s talk about strategy number 2. Mindfulness and Cognitive Restructuring.

Sometimes, we aren’t even aware of our thoughts. We just know we don’t feel like doing something.

Practicing mindfulness allows you to bring your thoughts into your awareness. When you’re struggling with, say, working out, take a moment and listen to your inner dialogue. What do you hear? It could be something like this-

“I don’t have time to work out.”

“I’m going to be all sweaty and tired.”

“I’ll do it tomorrow.”

Make a note of these thoughts whenever they happen. Because the first step in changing your thinking is being mindful of those thoughts. The next step is challenging and changing them. This is the restructuring part. Cognitive restructuring is the term for replacing those powerful negative thoughts with more positive motivating ones. Your positive thoughts can instead be:

“Today is busier than usual, so I’m going to work out for 20 minutes rather than an hour”

“I don’t need to go all the way to the gym, I can do a quick workout at home”

“I’ll feel better afterwards and will get more done”

Try that next time you have negative thoughts, and see how it affects how you act.

And the last strategy I’ll leave you with is a good one – it’s calling priming. Priming is like giving yourself a one-person pep rally. You’re getting yourself pumped up for the day or for whatever activity you’re facing. You might even do it sometimes without understanding how impactful it is.

You’d be surprised to know how much power you have over how you think and feel. What priming does is use that power to put you in the mindset of getting something done. For example, athletes sometimes listen to certain songs or watch a cool video before playing a big game. It’s finding something that lights you up and makes you want to take on the world. Hint: There’s a reason everyone wants to box and run stairs after hearing the theme from Rocky!

So what pumps you up? Think of a few things that really get you going. It could be listening to a song, talking to a person who always motivates you, it could even be a certain Instagram feed or youtube video. Identify what they are, and use them whenever it feels challenging to stick to your goals. Motivation is all about overcoming the thoughts that tell us we can’t or we shouldn’t. Yes you can and yes, you should. Your health is more important than ever.