The Fat Mindset - how it can destroy you

There are three basic areas in life which we must maintain and support to live a healthy life. It's kind of like a triangle, and when one of the legs of the triangle is weak, the entire structure collapses. Those three areas are the physical body, the intellectual/mental facilities, and the emotional/spiritual health of an individual.

You cannot focus on just one aspect and ignore the other two.

Whereas obesity and being fat destroys the physical body, the fat mindset equally destroys ones emotional and spiritual health. Whereas physical activity and dieting can strengthen the physical body, the fat mindset is much more difficult to purge from one's life.

What is the fat mindset? It is a collection of negative emotions that gather over time that erode and destroy a person's self worth, confidence, and overall will to live.

The fat mindset is caused primarily by negative social interactions, some of which are self-inflicted, which over time strengthen and feeds itself until it takes on a life all of its own. It is fueled by rejection, disdain, isolation, and a sense of failure, which further enforces itself and makes itself stronger and can manifest itself later as inward or outward rage, hopelessness, and overall death of emotion which can lead to death of the body.

It is possible to shed the overall body weight one is carrying and still suffer heavily from the fat mindset. As such, I treat it like a disease. This disease, much like being overweight, cannot be cured by a pill or wished away. It is very real, and anyone who suffers from it will know that it's not as easy as flipping a switch to be rid of it.

Combating the fat mindset is not something one can really do alone, for one of the reasons it exists is due to social isolation and rejection. Those suffering from this need to be able to speak to someone or a support network about their feelings and issues and receive positive reinforcement. This is not to say that a support network should encourage or support one being obese, but rather encourage or support the individual in their battle against obesity and in making them a stronger person as a whole.

Negative emotions and feelings have much longer lasting impact over positive ones. Spend a year in the fat mindset and then two years positively reinforcing yourself, and people will still have a strong impact of the negative emotions you stirred whilst in the fat mindset.

This is why its important to fight those feelings every step of the way. It is through our own selves that we achieve victory through perseverence and inner fortitude. The phrase "I can't do it" or "I give up" should not be allowed. We are all human underneath the flesh, and our emotional cores can easily be rotted from the inside. It is our responsibility to ourselves to take care of it, for no one else will.

Find the color in your life through whatever means you must. For me it is painting and music. For you it may be something else. Take your journey one step at a time and begin to purge thoughts out of your head that tell you that you are worthless or a failure. They are self-fulfilling and seek to do nothing but destroy you.

Seek not the approval of those who only value shallow things. Seek the approval of yourself and to those that matter.

Best of luck on your journey.