I have not started the exercises provided in the book yet. As of right now I am only reading through the book to get an idea of what Negative Body Obsession is. I do intend on going back through after I finish and doing the exercises in the book in order. Surprisingly, one of the exercises suggested in the book is to write a letter to your negative thoughts. This is something that I have started working on with my therapist, however I am writing my letter to someone instead of to a thought. But at least I have an idea of what to do and how to do it.
I have started reading Be Your Best At Marathon Running and am going back and forth between the two books. I am needing a little more motivation for running, so I am taking the time to read a little of both. Highlights from that book will be coming soon!
The following are the highlights I took from Step Two. I still highly suggest the book for anyone having difficulty accepting their body or for those who have a lot of negative self talk...
"It is when we discover that we are not our thoughts, and that we do not have to listen to our thoughts, that the path to freedom begins."
"Whoever you are, know that your thoughts do not define you."
"Where do your Negative Body Thoughts come from? The majority of them have most likely come from the people who have influenced you the most. Our parents gave us ideas about who we were, what we were capable of, what we were entitled to, and what we were worth. Our thoughts have also been influenced by teachers, siblings, friends and society at large."
"You can choose either to listen or not to listen, depending on whether the thought is useful, edifying, enriching, and evolutionary, or destructive, negative, and depleting."
"Once you identify and proactively detach from the negative thoughts, you can begin to cultivate and nurture positive thoughts that have the power to utterly transform your life."
"As you notice what you say to yourself, discover how these thoughts, beliefs, and attitudes make you feel and direct your behavior."
"The way you think about yourself will determine:
- The way you feel about yourself.
- The quality of your friendships.
- The quality of your career.
- The quality of your health.
- Basically... every aspect of your life."
"Those of us who struggle with Negative Body Obsession, regardless of its severity, often blame ourselves and aim negative emotions toward ourselves. We get angry at ourselves for not having the right body, for not being beautiful, for not being perfect."
"Realize that as you begin to destroy Negative Body Obsession, you will need to address the emotions: the fear, the anger, the insecurity, and the pain that NBO has helped you avoid."
"When you detach from negative thoughts and begin to focus on more positive ones, you can actually help to transform your brain."
I am still highly enjoying this book and I am learning so much from it. I would definitely recommend reading this book yourself if you feel like you are suffering from those nagging negative voices in your head that bring you down. The notes I take from it may not be the points that are in there to help you, so picking up the book and reading it yourself would be the best way to take from it what you personally may need. There is so much in this book that I have underlined most of each chapter, but don't want to just type the whole book out here, so I urge you to find a copy!
No comments:
Post a Comment