Change your self-talk, change your health

Change your self-talk, change your health

Sometimes we get stuck in a rut when it comes to our health.  It’s hard to always be “good,” whether it’s monitoring our blood glucose, blood pressure, watching our weight, or avoiding not-so-healthy foods.  But it’s the little things you tell yourself.  Saying to yourself, “I can’t,” or “not today,” that can have a big impact on how you feel and how well you manage any health care conditions needing monitored. 

Study after study show how you think and what you verbally say to yourself can have a strong influence on your health.  If you have positive thoughts and feelings on making positive lifestyle choices, chances are higher you will stick to your treatment plan resulting in improved heath parameters.  This could mean better blood pressure or blood glucose readings, losing some weight, or getting in 30 more minutes of exercise than you did the day before. 

These positive, life-affirming thoughts can show up in not only having fewer health complications but also in your mood.  No one is saying you have to be a Pollyanna, but thinking and speaking positively leads to more hope, optimism, and a self-confident feeling you can do this.

But if you get caught up in a cycle of negative thinking or self-talk, it only makes it more difficult to reach health goals you and your healthcare providers have set up.

Here are ideas on how to rewrite your negative self-talk into more positive self-talk to boost overall health:

·      Negative self-talk: “There’s no way I can get my blood sugar/pressure/weight down and keep it there forever!”

Positive self-talk: “I’m lucky I have my medical care team to help me meet my goals.  If I take their advice one step at a time, I can reach them to improve my health.”

·      Negative self-talk:  “I can’t believe my blood sugar/pressure/weight has gone up so high!  I really screwed it up!”

Positive self-talk:  “I need to figure out why my blood sugar/pressure/weight is higher than what I expected.  Getting to the bottom of this can help me avoid it from happening in the future.”

·      Negative self-talk: “Managing diabetes/blood pressure/weight is too hard for me.  It’s overwhelming and I can’t learn all this stuff.”

Positive self-talk:  “Everyday single day, millions of people are managing their diabetes/blood pressure/weight and I can too.”

·      Negative self-talk:  “I have to follow my meal plan/exercise routine to the letter.”

Positive self-talk:  “I’m not perfect but the important thing is overall consistency, not an occasional lapse.”

·      Negative self-talk:  “Having to test my blood sugar/blood pressure or weigh myself all the time is a real hassle.”

Positive self-talk:  “Checking on how my blood sugar/blood pressure/body weight is doing is the best way to find out on how my food choices, activity, and stress are affecting my condition.  I’m glad I have methods to use of finding this information out so I know if I’m on track with my health.”