You hear a lot of interesting things being shouted when you are sitting on the sidelines watching a sporting event. "Play to the whistle!", "Let's go!", "Talk to each other!", "Get your head in the game!","Brush it off!","Hey, ref! Put your glasses on!", and many more. As I have said in previous posts, I am a Soccer Mom and I love watching my sons play and hearing the "color commentary" from the other parents. Sometimes you can sit close enough to hear what the coaches are saying to the players. At a recent game, the coach of the opposing team was extremely vocal and we could easily hear the things he was shouting at his team. When he shouted to his striker, "Keep your head up after a bad pass!", I said to the parents sitting near me: "That's a lesson than can apply to more than just soccer."
I included a photo of a cute baby with this blog because babies don't need to be reminded to 'keep their heads up.' Once they have the strength to do so, babies keep their heads up all of the time. In addition to the excitement that little ones have about lifting their heads up and gaining a better view of the world, the posture of babies is not linked with their self esteem (or lack thereof). I don't think that babies are capable of having the self-esteem issues that adults have. They don't catch a glimpse of themselves in the mirror and think "I need to lay off the second helpings." You never see a baby perseverating after a tumble...they just get back up and try again. They don't need a coach to tell them to "keep their head up after a bad pass." I often tell my clients that they need to "baby themselves" because I want them to make self-care the highest priority. We take such wonderful care of our babies, yet we fail to treat ourselves with the same loving kindness. Another reason we should baby ourselves is to reclaim our 8-month old self who smiled at our reflection in the mirror, kept trying something we wanted to do until we got it right, and were so happy to be uniquely ourselves (there is no "keeping up with the Joneses" when you are a baby).
It is already cold and cough season and I have recently noticed, for the first time, that cough drops now come with a dose of encouragement as well as menthol and eucalyptus. I had no idea! I think I have been throwing away precious pep talks for years! As a matter of fact, the marketing slogan that accompanies the bag of lozenges is "there's a pep talk in every drop." In case you have also been treating the paper wrappers as trash instead of treasure, here's a recap of some of the motivational messages:
“Nothing you can't handle”
“Buckle down and push forth”
“Keep your chin up”
"Impress yourself today"
"Don't give up on yourself"
"The show must go on"
“Seize the day”
"Let's hear your battle cry"
"Put your game face on"
"Get back in there champ"
"You've survived tougher"
"Fire up those engines"
"You can do it and you know it"
I really love the idea of getting some encouragement just when you need it the most. I don't think that the cough drop pep talks will cure the common cold or help to alleviate your hacking, but when you are sick and tired and wondering when you are going to start feeling better, it can be quite comforting and encouraging to know that someone is there to cheer you on...even if that someone is the person who sat at a computer coming up with your cough drop's catch phrases.
What about when you are not sick? I think it's also great to have a personal cheerleader when things are going well and you are feeling great. Why can't our yogurt containers and granola bars encourage us? How about if next to the grams of protein and fiber it said- "Keep eating healthy!", "Your food is your medicine!", "Smile! You are a superfoods supermodel!"...I can think of 100 more! Since the healthy foods packaging may not change anytime soon, we need to be our own cheerleaders when it comes to living a healthy lifestyle.
I don't have to tell you that the "comfort foods" (the ones we reach for when we are in need of support, consolation and condolence), are the ones that are really bad for us. I encourage you to change your mindset:
- Craving macaroni and cheese? Replace most of the cheese with lots of creamy pureed veggies.
- Dreaming of ice cream? Turn some frozen fruit into a sweet and cold dessert.
- Planning on spending the night with a bottle of wine by your side? They make lovely sparkling ciders now.
- Is there a bag of peanut butter and chocolate candy stashed somewhere in your house that is "calling your name"? Put some almond butter on a banana and sprinkle it with mini chocolate chips.
The ingredients in healthy foods have a much better chance of comforting us because they will turn into vital molecules and amino acids that will fuel your body, lift your mood, increase your energy level, fight off pathogens, and help you keep your head up! They may not come with motivating words or life lessons, but the wonderful way your healthy body feels will be just the pep talk that you need!