Obstacles, problems, injury, setbacks, they all are part of life. Not a very fun part, but it is at it is. People life in fear of what could happen or lament to others about the problems they currently experience. However bad the situation seems, we still have to manipulate our mindset to make things just a little bit easier. How? Read on!
realistic expectations
First of all we have to accept that problems are part of life. There is no way you won’t encounter them on your journey. Age is going to throw health problems at you. Loved ones are going to die or suffer. You are going to lose money. Your dishwasher is going to break and flood your kitchen. Those things just happen.
And the same goes with your health and fitness goals. You are going to hit a plateau on your squat. A night out will trigger a week of bingeing. You’ll probably have an injury flare up at some point. It won’t be easy, but what really is always easy anyways?
expecting obstacles
Okay, we now have established that we are going to encounter obstacles in our lifes. Now what? Well, you can prepare for many of them and lessen the impact of them. Great. But there are many problems that nobody expects to happen. Or you would have to live a life constantly worrying about what could happen, but obviously this would be the hell on earth. Imagine constantly being in fear of all these random things: not leaving your flat because maybe somebody could steal your purse. Changing to the other side of the street whenever you see a dog because it could bite you. Not stepping on a ladder because it could crush under your weight. Horror.
What to do? You have to be careful not to “suffer in advance”. Only think about problems that you have some type of control over. You are traveling while dieting and worry if you’ll find anything that fits your macros? Well, just bring your own food (yes, it’s possible). Worrying if the plane might crash? Don’t even bother, there isn’t anything you can do about it anyways!
“Worrying is like paying a debt you don’t owe.”
Mark Twain
handling problems
When a problem finally shows up, we usually only have two options: push it to the side, try to forget about it and hope it solves itself, or attack it immediately and try to get it out of the way as soon as possible. You can probably see what is the better option, but still many people choose the “try to forget about it” strategy and then complain that the problem doesn’t go away.
I know, I know, attacking obstacles isn’t fun and not always is there a quick solution. Still you have (at least to some extent) the possibility to choose how you feel about it. You can let yourself suffer, moaning and lamenting to others, or you can (try) to take a step back, accept it as it is and go on with your daily business. Are things really that bad, or is it our minds that blow things up?
Everything can be taken from a man but one thing: the last of the human freedoms—to choose one’s attitude in any given set of circumstances, to choose one’s own way.
Viktor Frankl
do not be afraid to ask for help
Sometimes it is very difficult (or even impossible!) to solve the problem all by yourself. In some cases it is very obvious: if you have tooth ache, you will go do the dentist. But what if you have to cope with a mental issue or an eating disorder? Even in a less severe case, there is no reason to always play the super-hero and attack the obstacle all on your own. There are experts out there that can help you solving your issue. Investing some time in researching who can truely help you, is already taking responsibility of your situation.
Summary
Obstacles and misfortune are never funny, however we can choose our mindset on how we handle the situation. Dwelling on how bad everything is doesn’t solve anything. Lamenting to others doesn’t make things better, you usually only put pressure on them to help you, which they usually simply can’t. The only reasonable way is to accept problems and try to get them out of the way as soon as possible. I know this isn’t easy, but I think by taking responsibility, it is easier to push emotions to the side and see things as they really are. Ask for help if you are completely overwhelmed by the situation.
Are you struggling with a boring diet or are you not enjoying your training anymore? Contact us and let us talk how we can reach your body composition or strength goals and let training and eating be fun again!
Beary Strong 