What Exactly is Emotional Transformation?

What exactly is emotional transformation?

We are very familiar with the tangible, visible result that a physical transformation has. However, whether the goal is losing weight, eating healthier, or getting active, emotional transformations aren’t as black and white as the physical ones. These transformations can be many different things and come in layers.

An emotional transformation changes how you view things and how you react to something, and it can happen at any level. For example, this can be how you respond to situations when you’re faced with food, you’re tired, you’re stressed, you get stuck at work longer than anticipated, or you find yourself in never-ending traffic during a commute.

How do you react to it and still put your health first?

• If there’s a spread of cookies and cake at work, do you stay the course and eat what you planned to that day?
• If the alarm goes off early morning, do you get up and moving for the planned workout?
• If your boss is getting on your last nerve, do you deal with your emotions instead of burying them away only to erupt later, being taken out on your kids or spouse?

There’s a direct correlation between emotions and thoughts because your heart and mind are connected. Sometimes your mind wins out and sometimes your heart, but regardless of the result, they’re both involved.

When you want to transform, it’s much more than envisioning what you want. You have to practice it consistently. And men and women process and attack the act of transformation differently.

Men vs. Women

Societally, there’s a stigma behind men expressing their emotions. Doing so makes them feel too touchy-feely or even weak. But who’s to say what the gauge is on being overly emotional? A man who understands his own feelings, can express his own feelings, and listen to the feelings of others without taking them to heart is about as strong as they come. The men who can then go the extra mile by understanding when it’s time to offer advice vs. when it’s time to listen are the Thor Bjornssons of strong men.

On the other hand, society considers women to be more in touch with their feelings, maybe sometimes in abundance, but women tend to be more of the nurturers. They want to help, they want to provide care, and they want to fix. However, again, it comes down to understanding when it’s time to coach and when it’s time to listen.

Being emotionally healthy makes both men and women excel at their own emotional transformation or in the assisting of it for others. And the emotional side of things plays right into the mental game. However, it’s important to be able to decipher between the two.

So, what obstacles do we face when we’re going through an emotional transformation as we try to transform our bodies?

1. What we’ve been taught – Family origin can play a leading role in the habits we develop as kids that bleed into adulthood. Whether that’s eating when we’re happy, when we celebrate, or when we’re sad, the relationship with food starts at a young age. Some people have been brought up in a food-centric home, so the emotions associated might need some overcoming en route to transformation.
2. How we view others – Sometimes, we hold the opinions of others above our own, which can create pressure, whether peer pressure or self-induced pressure. Have you ever spent more time than you’re willing to admit obsessing over something someone said to you? Sometimes one comment or even word can sideswipe an emotional transformation in process.
3. How we view ourselves – What do you see when you look at yourself? How do you feel about yourself? If you aren’t the most confident, it’s harder to make good decisions in tough situations.

For example, you walk into a party with a ton of alcohol and food. If you’re more concerned with pleasing everyone else and aren’t confident enough to stay committed to your gut feelings or the plan you had going in, you’re not going to make great decisions. You might eat or drink way more than you planned, only to return home later and be engulfed with guilt.  

These challenges are only scratching the surface regarding emotional transformations and the feelings associated with the process.

If you’re constantly being shut down or your feelings are never validated, it’s only a matter of time before you stop expressing them. It’s really the approach to how you express. Someone with confidence will be able to relay their emotions more clearly and commit to learning the necessary skill sets and practicing them daily.

When it comes to transforming how we look, it’s usually based more on the emotional over the physical with, 90% of the transformation focusing on emotions and the mental component and about 10% discussing food, nutrition, and fitness.

When our goal is to attain a specific transformation, we want to hear about the results first – how we will look, and how we will feel. So, we should follow one of the 7 habits of highly effective people by starting with the end in mind but also being realistic enough to know the process it takes to get there and the work that needs to be put in.

Emotions and emotional situations can be heavy at the time, and sometimes we don’t want to deal with certain feelings or situations. We end up sweeping them under the rug enough times that eventually, it leads to an irrational argument, a blowout, or the act of self-sabotage. This can show up by binge eating, avoiding workouts, over-exercising, or over-dieting.

We all have emotional wounds, but if you consider taking the steps towards emotional transformation, you can reverse the effects and learn to experience a new way of thinking, feeling, and living.

So, are you ready? All the tools you need to transform your body and life are yours if you want them. LET’S GO! 

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