On/Off Thinking
Just a few short weeks ago, we were asked to stay at home and not go out unless we absolutely had to. Stores were closed. Services were not available. Decisions were made for us about what we could or could not do. We may not have liked it, but our decisions were easy.
That’s because we understand “on/off” thinking or “dichotomous thinking”. This type of thinking involves making decisions in terms of yes/no, all/none, or right/wrong, instead of along a continuum. We tend to think this way especially in activities related to making changes to our behavior.
You may have experienced this type of “on/off” thinking when you were embarking on a healthy eating goal or resuming or starting an exercise routine. For example, you may recall a time when you failed to live up to a commitment or slipped back into your old habits and thought, “Well, I’ve broken my commitment. I may as well take a break and get back to it later.”
Here is another example. Your state’s stay-at-home order may have interrupted or stopped your exercise routine. And now you may be having trouble moving from “off” to “on”. If so, you may be falling into dichotomous thinking such as, “If I can’t do what I want the way I want, I just won’t do it at all.” Or, “I will resume my exercise plan when things get back to normal.” You may have even tried to start a new routine based on the restrictions and thought, “If I have to go through all of this, I think it’s easier to quit.”
The first step in overcoming dichotomous thinking is to recognize that our thoughts drive how we perceive the world. They are an indication of how we will respond. In other words, our thoughts predict whether we will bounce back from a setback or give up on our goals.
How to Resume Healthy Habits
To help you resume or create healthy habits that may have fallen by the wayside, take a moment to consider the following:
Reflect on why you set this goal in the first place. For example, this reflection might remind you that having a healthy lifestyle is critical for you to live the kind of life you desire.
Next, take a moment to realize that everyone has times when they experience setbacks. After all, we are only human. We make mistakes and what we did in the past need not determine what we do in the future. Sometimes all it takes to get back on course is to silently say, “I forgive myself. I am ready to get back on my path to healthy living.”
If you have been off your healthy lifestyle for a while, you might need to jump start it by taking baby steps. This might be something like eliminating just one thing from your unhealthy eating routine, or substituting one unhealthy food with a healthy one and gradually getting back to your plan.
If you still find that you are having reoccurring negative thoughts about your ability to stick to your goals, here is a brief exercise that might help you silence the critic inside of your head.
When you notice you are having reoccurring negative thoughts, take a moment to refocus your attention by taking a few slow and even breaths.
Once you are relaxed and calm, take a moment to bring some of those negative thoughts into your awareness.
Then ask yourself these questions:
Are these negative thoughts true?
If so, how do you know they are true? What evidence do you have that these thoughts are true of you now?
Now, take a moment to bring to mind a time when you experienced a setback and were able to get back on track. Can you recall how you felt when you were able to do this?
Next, remind yourself that it doesn’t matter how many times you experience a setback as long you get back on the journey. Isn’t that what is really important?
Finally, take a moment to consider how you feel as you visualize getting back on track. Does this feeling help put some distance between you and these negative thoughts? You might try to visualize the negative thoughts as leaves floating down a stream or clouds passing by.
Just know that letting go of negative messages about ourselves is a process. It may require that you repeat this exercise frequently, especially if these negative thoughts have been with you for a while.
Don’t give up! Keep in mind that with patience and practice, these negative thoughts need not stop you from pursuing your goals.