Your sneakers are gathering dust, and you're once again berating yourself for your lack of willpower. But is that really the only problem? What if we told you that it's not laziness at all, but something we're not ready to face head-on—our own emotions?
What makes us quit sports?
Lack of discipline
When we go to any sport, the first thing that comes to mind is discipline. And here comes the first difficulty, discipline is a skill. It is learned. And if you go to the gym for the hundredth time and quit after 2-3 classes, then everything is fine with you!
You are no worse than those who walk steadily. They just have a pumped up discipline skill.
The good news: this can be learned. The first step towards overcoming yourself, a step towards discipline, is not to make excuses like the weather/mood/time, but to go into your emotions – into pain, anger.
Where did the emotions come from? At least because you don't want to strain yourself in the gym – and that's normal! Here we come to the fact that going into emotions = going to training, understanding that it will be difficult, painful, hard. This is a stage of growing up, when no one obliges you to anything and it's only your desire/need – to go in for sports.
Negative emotions
The second important stage is the training itself. Here we are faced with a lot of emotions: anger, pain, frustration. Where does anger come from? You came to strain your body, and it hurts, takes a long time and is difficult. It is not very pleasant, to be honest.
Where does frustration come from? You worked hard for an hour or two, it was very difficult for you, you got tired, and by the end of the workout your brain rewarded you with dopamine.
You are satisfied with yourself, go to the first mirror and realize that there is no result. There will be no result tomorrow either. And here it is, frustration. “Why am I so stressed if I don’t see the result? Chips wouldn’t do that to me.” Plus comparing yourself to others is the basis of neuroticism. And frustration again.
And here's the question: why go to the gym if there are so many negative emotions? If you think that for your brain a beautiful picture of an athlete or the thought “I want to get in shape” is enough motivation, then you are mistaken. Your brain is already doing well, it is not on your side.
Imagine: 3-4 times a week for an hour or two to feel anger, pain, frustration and not see instant results, well, who would like that? Let's not forget your background: stress at work, in your personal life, lack of sleep, an unhealthy diet, changing seasons and temperatures, many have children. And in all this beauty, you just want to suffer in the gym for another hour, right?
What motivation should be there to make your brain work for you?
Motivation to grow up. We don't want to experience negative emotions for the sake of an illusory result (to lose weight someday or gain muscle mass someday). But, for example, to endure anger and pain right here and now while doing these 4 approaches is a completely real and clear goal.
What will I gain if I learn to tolerate my emotions? The skill of self-regulation: I will be able to tolerate myself and others, which means I will be able to ask for a raise because I deserve it, and not collapse into shame at the thought of it. I will be able to avoid taking on unnecessary work because I stand firm on my feet and know how to say no. I will be able to clearly and distinctly express my position in relationships, and not settle for less. In general, there are many “buns” in adulthood.
Let's get back to sports. The motivation to “learn to endure…” has a completely clear result: here it either worked out or it didn't.
The result is instant, everything is as we like. And if today I was able to endure, I was able to go into my emotions – I feel great. Tomorrow I can do it again. And here it is easier to build a system. And where there is a system – there are results. And, by the way, as a bonus to self-regulation, you will get a beautiful body. And the last thing: we give up not because we are weak, we give up because we cannot endure our emotions.
Please note that this information is general and does not replace consultation with a specialist if there are serious psychological difficulties.
Джерело: ukr.media
