Dealing with Self-Image & Limiting Believes – Weekly Challenge #48

Summary: It is time to address the topic of Self Esteem on our personal development journey – which basically is how you feel about yourself. However, what will have our attention this week and is closely related to Self-Esteem, is the Self-Image, which concerns how you see yourself and how you believe others see you. That means if you have a negative view of yourself, your self-esteem naturally will be low as well.

So that’s why this week’s challenge will aim to get a clearer view of our present self-image, in particular in the context of limiting beliefs that hinder us in life. Because if we are to reach our full potential, we need to break free from chains that are holding us down.

In practicality this means we are going to turn on the awareness radar and pick up on what stories we tell ourselves; the limiting beliefs that dictate our life and how we act in different situations as a result of that. Yes-we’ve done this before, it’s called self-observation! But that’s only half the battle, because we also are also going to take at least 10 minutes to just sit down and process this data and do some root cause analysis! Asking ourselves Why – looking back to our childhood.

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So we are on a quest to build ourselves up from within, and since this year started we’ve been taken a deep look at ourselves to reach a higher state of self-awareness. Seeking to understand and build a deeper connection with ourselves to get clear picture of who we believe we are, who we really are and who we want to be. In other word we are more or less playing around with what is called Self-concept, because to be self-aware is to have a self-concept. Actually, if we look to how the famous psychologist Carl Rogers defines it, we are missing one part; Self-esteem.

The three components of self-concept consist of:

  • The view you have of yourself (self-image)
  • How much value you place on yourself (self-esteem or self-worth)
  • What you wish you were really like (ideal self)

But before we move on to solely focus on self-esteem, which will be the next big topic for this channel, we need to understand the connection between self-esteem and self-image.

“Self Esteem is how you feel about yourself. Image is about how you see yourself and how you believe others see you. They are closely connected because if you have a poor opinion of yourself your self esteem will be low.”

in what our ideal self looks like, but that’s for later.

So this week will be about getting clear on our present self-image, in particular the context of limiting beliefs that hinder us in life. Because we are to reach our full potential, we need to break free from what is chaining us down. Why? Well because it plays a tremendously important role in the development of our self-esteem. As we have spoken about in earlier challenges, we need to know where we are today, our self-image, so we know what to work on to move towards our ideal self. Logically, this also means having a sense of clarity

But so, I haven written any on this, instead I refer you to the video were Leo from actualized.org explains it way better than I could do today.

But in short here’s a description hi-jacked from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Self-image) :

“Self-image is the mental picture, generally of a kind that is quite resistant to change, that depicts not only details that are potentially available to objective investigation by others (height, weight, hair color, etc.), but also items that have been learned by that person about themselves, either from personal experiences or by internalizing the judgments of others. A simple definition of a person’s self-image is their answer to the question “What do you believe people think about you?”.

Self-image may consist of three types:

  1. Self-image resulting from how the individual sees themselves.
  2. Self-image resulting from how others see the individual.
  3. Self-image resulting from how the individual perceives others see them.

These three types may or may not be an accurate representation of the person. All, some or none of them may be true.”

 

HOW ARE WE GOING TO DO THIS?

Observe yourself throughout the day and the actions you take – what stories are you telling yourself. What beliefs dictated the action you take? Since so much of our actions are controlled on both a conscious and subconscious level, it really requires a HIGH awareness if we are to pick up on the actions we take and the stories we tell ourselves. Since we are acting the way we always do, it will be very hard to notice these things that usually is just your “normal” mode. So if this introspection is going to work, we really need to turn up the knob on our awareness radar and our observational ability.

But observing and collecting the data is one thing, we also need to allocate time to process and analyse all this. so – sit down for 10 minutes on the evening and go through your thoughts and notes. Try to seek answers for why you are having these beliefs. Look back into your history and try to find answers to your beliefs originate from. So take notes throughout the day, and then at the end of the day – take time to go through them and do some introspection in relation to these notes. Start to pull the yarns of these believes and ideas that has dictated your day

That’s why I really urge this week to unplug from all the external input we load ourselves with. Really take time this week to be alone in your own head. No podcasts, no music unless non active listening to lyrics. Just allow yourself time and space to dwell and process your observations. An insight I’ve come to realise the importance of more and more since this focused inner journey begun.

So in short, this week’s objectives are:

  • Turn on the awareness radar and try to pick up on the stories you tell yourselves; the limiting beliefs that dictates your life and the way you act in different situations. Self-observation. Take notes continuously throughout the day and think and reflect about why you took or didn’t took the actions you did.
  • Allocate alone time for yourself in your own head – stay away from external inputs this week that steels your focus away like podcasts, social media, apps, etc. and try to tune out the music as well, or at least only listen to instrumental music.
  • At the end of the day, sit down for 10 minutes and go through your notes and observation of the day; process, reflect and analyse and see if you can find answers to the underlying root cause. Ask yourself why and why until you end up with one or a few plausible answers.

So that’s it! Now in terms of vlogging this week, we’ll see. It may just be some live streams we’re we do this “at-the-end-of-the-day” reflection silently on our own. We’ll see. Make sure to subscribe so you’ll get notifications for all the videos I release!

I wish you the best of luck, & let me know if you’re doing the challenge!

/Alexander J

Recommended material:

Video on self-concept:

https://youtu.be/PaA0mLVQd3k

Video on Self-image:

 

Increasing The Mind-Body Connection – Weekly Challenge#47

Hey guys!

It’s time for a new week challenge, and this week we are going to work on our Mind-Body connection! Mind-body connection, what does that really mean? Well, it means that our thoughts, feelings, beliefs, and attitudes can affect how we function biologically. In other words, your mind has a saying in your bodies health status and physiological responses in different situation! So this translates to a very practical and straight forward challenge; we’re going to try out Wim Hof’s aka The iceman’s daily 4-minute breathing exercises and also do his cold shower challenge! So if you’re up for this, make sure to watch this whole video!
Information from Wim Hof’s homepage:

COLD THERAPY
“The cold is your warm friend. Exposing your body to it in the right way starts a cascade of health benefits, including the buildup of brown adipose tissue and subsequent fat loss, reduced inflammation to facilitate a fortified immune system, balanced hormone levels, improved sleep quality, and the production of endorphins— the feel-good chemicals in the brain that naturally elevate your mood.”

BREATHING
“We’re always breathing, yet we’re mostly unaware of its tremendous potential. Heightened oxygen levels hold a treasure trove of benefits, and the specialized breathing technique of the Wim Hof Method unearths them all: more energy, reduced stress levels, and an augmented immune response to swiftly deal with pathogens.”

COMMITMENT
“The third pillar is the foundation of the other two: both cold exposure and conscious breathing require patience and dedication in order to be fully mastered. Armed with focus and determination you are ready to explore and eventually master your own body and mind.”

The Objectives:
So the objectives of this challenge is to embrace Wim Hof’s breathing practices and do at least one cold shower every day. Just watch the video instructions for how to do this.
The following information is sourced from: wimhofmethod.com

✔ Warning: The breathing exercise has a profound effect and should be practiced in the way it is explained. Always do the breathing exercise in a safe environment (e.g. sitting on a couch/floor) and unforced. Never practice the exercises before or during diving, driving, swimming, taking a bath or in any other environment/place where, should you pass out, a serious injury could occur. Wim Hof breathing may cause tingling sensations and/or lightheadedness. If you’ve fainted, it means that you went to far. Take a step back next time.The cold is a powerful force. We strongly advise to gradually build up exposing yourself to the cold. Always train without force and listen to your body carefully. If it is not practiced responsible, there is a risk of hypothermia. Do not practice the method during pregnancy or when having epilepsy. Persons with cardiovascular health issues, or any other (serious) health conditions, should always consult a medical doctor before starting with the Wim Hof Method.

THE THREE VIDEOS:

Video #1: Wim Hof teaches you how to do more push-ups with his breathing technique. The scientific breathing techniques will significantly improve your energy levels, detox the body and release toxins, relieve stress and tension, and strengthen your immune system.


Video #2: Wim  teaches you how a simple cold shower can help you to burn fat, boost your immune system and increase the “feel good” chemicals in the brain called endorphins (natures own mood boosters). You can download your Free 20 day cold shower sheet here: http://explore.wimhofmethod.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/03/coldshower-exercise-wimhofmethod.pdf


Video #3: This video is all about commitment. Why you should take action today

You could also just sign up to his homepage and you’ll get all the information there
https://www.wimhofmethod.com/elearning/free-3-part-video-miniclass
For me the structure of this challenge will look like this:
– Breathing exercise every morning prior to my morning workout
– Cold shower each morning after my morning workout

Now besides this, I’ll also try and see if I’ll be able to hold my breath for over 2 minutes! Now previously I’ve only been able to do this for just over one minute, so we’ll see.

So I wish you the best of luck guys, and make sure to stop by during the week to see some nice vlogging about this challenge.

/Alexander 🙂

 

Trying New Things & Breaking Old Habits

Press the image to see the video!

Hey guys!

It’s time for a new – old – week challenge focused on breaking old habits and routines and trying new things. It’s about cutting lose from our fixed patterns and “the one and only way” to do things and live our lives. Why? Because once and a while we need breath of fresh air, to be able to look at things in a new perspective. And yes, I know I’m the one that keeps nagging on about how we should implement habits and routines and how that’s the key to long-term sustainable success – and I still firmly believe so.

But even the good things we’ve built up, doesn’t harm to take a break from once and a while. Because I am not telling you to throw it all a side for ever –  no! This is just one week where we pledge to do things a bit differently. To allow ourselves – push ourselves – to try new things, or to maybe just realise how good some of those things we do on a regular basis really are for you, and hence we’ll appreciate them even more after this little “vacation”. So – it’s a win win!

So the objective of this week is super simple – just try to swap out as much as possible from your regular life during this week! This could for instance mean:

  • Listen to new music; the last time I did this challenge I discovered loads of new musicians in genres I’ve never would have considered listen to otherwise!
  • Try out new ways of training; group training, outdoors training, new sports, or maybe pause your training in favour for some long nice walks!
  • Mix up your eating habits – try new things, try vegan, try meat, try something you’ve never had before! Be bald, be
  • Buy some new clothes, or look through the wardrobe and use some of those things that has been forgotten about! The same goes for your shoes, jackets, hats, gloves – all of it!
  • Try a new haircut, try and old haircut, try a new makeup (not for me though)
  • Do something fun after work/school; go see a play, concert, go to the cinema or an art gallery – look through what’s going on in your city right now!
  • Hang out with a friend(s) you haven’t seen in a while or go try find a new friend! A call to a person you haven’t spoken to in a while could make your day!
  • Do something unexpected and push yourself out of your comfort zone – talk to some random people on the street or maybe ask a person out for a date or use tinder to find a date!

So that’s it – super fun, right? This is actually the second time we do this challenge, last time was sixteen week’s ago and you can find the text here: http://alexandernilsson.nu/trying-out-new-things-breaking-old-habits-weekly-challenge-30/ and the video playlist from that week here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLxw2jMXwRfsnr__90INYqasDxNAReVtHd

5 days of changing things up – you can do it!

See you in the week for some vlogging or Friday for the live evaluation! Where we also do an INDIVIDUAL evaluation on our own – looking through and evaluating our goal progression for the week that has been.

/Alexander 🙂