How many of us are feeling disappointed at our appearance coming into summertime? How many of us had great intentions to get fit and lose weight before the summer?  How much of the language we use each day with ourselves contributes to us not achieving our potential? and how we move forward from here.

Many people start to feel a bit down as summer approaches especially when the sun starts to come out as it has in recent times and reminds us that summer and the holidays are on their way because we feel that we aren’t the size we want it to be.

Many people start to feel a bit down as summer approaches especially when the sun starts to come out as it has in recent times and reminds us that summer and the holidays are on their way because we feel that we aren’t the size we want it to be.

Summer time is associated with outdoors, physical activity, and less clothing. Despite our best intentions, we find that come summer we are faced with the feeling of disappointment in ourselves for not being in better shape. Intentions to get fit and lose the weight gained have not come about. Instead of content in ourselves, it's another summer of feeling self-conscious and frustrated about body image.

 It's not possible to change the past, but it is possible to prevent the same disappointment next year, and it's not too late to get fitter while enjoying what is left of spring and summer now. It's possible no matter what our body size. It's all in how we move forward from here.

For some reason, we think that if we beat ourselves up about how we are feeling about what we haven’t done right, it will motivate them to do better. As a matter of fact, the more we talk negatively to ourselves the harder it will be to accomplish what we set out to do.  Everybody needs positivity, not punishment, in order to be motivated and achieve goals. This is especially true when dealing with our body and weight loss expectations.

To get that summer body we want we need to look at how we talk to ourselves about our body or ourselves. Using positive language like should, could, and would statements put us in a much better emotional and positive place, which will help us motivate ourselves rather than negative thinking such as I can’t, I won’t, I didn’t.

It is better to accept where we are today, put the past to one side for now, and focus on what we can do now. If we can do this, we will be in a much better place at the end of the summer than we are right now, even if it is not where we originally wanted to be. It is better progress than staying stuck in a cycle of negative thinking which is what will happen if we give up completely.

Ciara Kilduff is a counselling working from rooms in Blanchardstown and Cornelscourt. For more information on Ciara, you can see her website at, www.ciarakilduff.ie