Be Brave: Be Visual

I’m really trying hard to work on my mental toughness this year….both in triathlon, running AND in life. I would say hands down that my own inner critic is the most challenging aspect of moving forward in my life, regardless of the direction. I’ve never been someone who had a stellar “can do” attitude with exceptional self esteem and a mindset that believes she’ll never fail. I’ve always been the gal who seems to have more doubts that anything else, and while I know this about myself, changing it continues to be a daily struggle.

In therapy, we learn of a treatment method called Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (CBT). In CBT, the overall concept is that in life, the events that happen to us or around us aren’t really the cause of our pain or suffering. It’s our INTERPRETATION of the event that can cause us pain and suffering. Thus two people can be looking at the same event and interpreting it in very different ways. One person could be looking at it with a negative/critical mindset and therefore have a very different emotional experience. The other person could be looking at it with a moderate or even positive mindset and have a different emotional experience.

Example: It’s raining outside and I have a bike ride I need to do. Person A says, “this sucks. I hate riding in the rain.” Person A will probably have a shitty ride. Maybe they won’t even finish. Person B says, “well, it’s raining. I’m not a big fan but a little rain never hurt anyone.” Person B might not have a stellar ride, but they’ll land in a much better place emotionally.

I’ve never been a fan of CBT. It always seemed too elementary for me. In my 20’s when a therapist once asked me about doing these kinds of mental exercises I got upset. It all felt so fake. “As if a thought could just be changed! If I could just magically take my negative thoughts and turn them into positives, I would have done that a long time ago and wouldn’t be sitting here in your office miserably depressed.”

Since that time I’ve re-assessed my attitude towards positive thinking and mental challenges. I’m forcing myself this year to surround myself with positive imagery and thoughts that push me to start believing that I CAN do things that I’m fearful I can’t do. I’m trying really hard to focus and surrounds myself with people who believe in me and promote this kind of hope which I crave. I’m heading into workouts trying hard to remember that I’m doing this to have fun and that just because I hurt, it doesn’t mean I’m a failure or that I have no right to be in this sport. When I’m emotionally sad, lonely or depressed, I’m pushing myself to reach out (at least I try) and in doing so try to help my short term memory remember that I’m not unworthy of love and friendship.

Long story short: I'm a visual person. I need to have these reminders in front of me 24/7. So I wanted to share some of the visuals I’ve placed around my house this year…..hopefully this will indeed be a year of building that mental muscle and instead of saying “not me!” I’ll say “Why NOT me?” Be Visual. Be Brave.