I was the king of living an unhealthy lifestyle. I worked in the dance music industry for close to 15 years as a touring DJ and not only physically pushed myself and my body to the limits but also attracted a stack of mental negativity.
Think about it; when your life involves partying all weekend for work, sleeping all week (with the occasional mid-week party), eating poor food and then repeating the cycle, you’re not leaving much space for a healthy lifestyle and positive thinking.
In 2013 I came to the realisation that things had to change and they did. I changed my diet, trained four times per week and lost a massive 15kg. I had never been fitter, stronger or more physically healthy, but once the buzz of the weight loss began to fade, I found I still felt the same mentally as I did before. Negativity was rife and it was time to take the same approach to my mental health as I had done physically – in came the mental detox!
Improving your mindset for the long haul may seem tough, but here are three simple things you can implement right now to shift your perspective and give you a mental makeover!
- Cut out the complaining
It’s probably the most obvious thing when you think about it: Negativity breeds negativity. After reading The 4 Hour Work Week by Tim Ferriss I decided to implement one of his strategies to combat complaining. Place an elastic band or hair tie around one of your wrists. Every time you find yourself complaining, snap the band against your wrist. Try and do this for 21 days and see how you react. I found I was much more aware of my thought process, complaints and attitude. When I stopped verbalising the negativity for the sake of it, I created a more positive environment not only for myself, but for the people around me. - Show gratitude
The benefits of gratitude are massive, but how many people do you know who actually stop, take stock and really express how grateful they are for the most simple things around them? Clean water, great food, your friends, family etc. There is always someone who would love to have your problems. We get so caught up always wanting more, or looking for our next “thing” to buy, we forget to stop and appreciate the amazing things we already have in our lives. Implementing a gratitude journal helped me think about the little things every single day that make a difference in my life and how they increased my overall wellness. I use the Gratitude Journal app on my iPhone (though there are a number of apps, tools, and physical diaries you can find and buy). Each morning and evening I take five minutes to reflect on three things that I’m grateful for in life, as well as three amazing things that happened that day. In just one month of using this app, I felt my entire mindset begin to shift and move more permanently to the positive as I incorporated this new awareness of gratitude into my daily life. - Do more for others
As humans, we all tend to be pretty selfish. I was top of that list, where I spent many years only doing things for people where I knew there was personal benefit for me or my career. In turn, I felt shallow and empty and had a sense of anger for people expecting my time 24/7. I needed to eradicate the selfishness and learn to give back to other people, with the expectation of receiving absolutely nothing in return. The moment I started to feel this way, the grey clouds lifted. I found I began to enjoy giving back to others and the sense of satisfaction you get from helping somebody is nothing short of amazing. Whether it’s with sharing my experiences through Glow For Life, teaching outdoor fitness classes, helping clients lose weight, or reach their fitness goals, selfless support and dedication to others creates a next level high for me.
As a reformed “What can you do for me” addict, I’m now committed to helping others as they get rid of their negativity and undertake a mental detox. Your 21 day detox starts now… Come back and tell us how it goes!