How to Deal with Negative Thoughts & Bad Habits

For the past 18 months or so I’ve wanted to start a podcast, but I’ve been plagued with a slew of doubts. Am I good enough? Will anyone listen to me? Will I get judged?

Self-doubt morphed into procrastination which led to even more self-doubt and paralysis.

Until last week.

I realized that all of those doubts and insecurities were just thoughts in my head. I didn’t have to listen to them. I didn’t have to believe them. I didn’t have to let them rule my life. They were just thoughts, and I didn’t have to do anything with them.

So I took a risk. I took action. I made an announcement that I was going to start a podcast, ready or not. Despite feeling insecure. Despite not knowing what I was doing. Despite the very real possibility that I would make a ton of mistakes and risk judgement from others for it. Despite all those things I took action.

The negative thoughts and insecurities are still there, but I realized I could take action regardless. And as soon as I took action, guess what? Those thoughts got a lot quieter and a lot less compelling.

I talk about both these topics—feeling like an imposter, and the power of our negative thoughts—in my first two podcast episodes. You can listen to them here, as well as wherever you prefer to listen to your favourite podcasts. You can find links to all the major directories on this page here.

Episode 1

Episode 2

Show Notes for Episode 2

In this episode, we discuss the interconnectedness between our martial arts training and other aspects of our lives, and then take a deep dive into the role that habits play in our training and our lives. We discuss negative thoughts and bad habits in particular, and explore how these habitual ways of thinking and behaving are formed, and what to do about them so we can regain control and peace of mind.

Resources mentioned in this podcast:

This Naked Mind Podcast, by Annie Grace: https://thisnakedmind.com/podcasts/

Dr. Amy Johnson’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/DrAmyJohnson

Amy Johnson, “The Little Book of Big Change: The No-Willpower Approach to Breaking Any Habit.” You can find it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3LVPqqh

Jon Kabat-Zinn, “Full Catastrophe Living: Using the Wisdom of Your Body and Mind to Face Stress, Pain, and Illness.” You can find it on Amazon here: https://amzn.to/3dZXxpu

(Some of the links on my website are affiliate links, and at no additional cost to you I will earn a small commission if you decide to make a purchase.)

Thank you for joining me on my martial arts journey, and in the exploration of all the ways we can perform better in life and martial arts.

You can also find me on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/thekarateshrimp

Check out my online courses here: https://karateshrimpacademy.teachable.com/

If you’re interested in starting your own podcast, I highly recommend Buzzsprout. The platform is incredibly easy to use. If you sign up for a paid plan through my link you’ll get a $20 credit, and you’ll help support my show! Here’s that sign-up link: https://www.buzzsprout.com/?referrer_id=2039494

Thank you for listening! Together let’s build a community of strong, healthy, awesome martial artists.

If you prefer the video version of the second episode on thoughts and habits, you can watch it here:

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How do you deal with negative thoughts and bad habits? Feel free to share your experiences in the Comments section below.

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