We might think that we keep it 100 with ourselves, but we actually tell ourselves subtle, insidious lies every day. It’s about the little things – some of it has to do with our self perception, and some with the excuses that we make but might be in denial about. See what you might be lying to yourself about here.
1. Saying to yourself, “I got enough sleep. 5 hours is enough.” Nope, 7-8 hours are enough, dude, you’re just trying to convince your brain that your current lifestyle that prioritizes work and social media over sleep is “healthy”.
2. When we promise ourselves that we can keep a big juicy secret someone has told us. Most likely, we’re going to divulge it to someone at some point – that’s the nature of holding the key to a secret.
3. Saying “I’m not enough” This is a mental construct holding you back. Negate this by telling yourself “I am enough” every day. We determine our own self worth.
4. Telling yourself, “I exercised this morning, so one extra bag of chips won’t make a difference!”. That extra bag or that extra cupcake always makes a difference – you’re just psyching yourself out to feel less guilty.
5. Saying I’m not a morning person, or “I could be a morning person”. How early you wake up depends on your lifestyle – when you go to sleep, what you eat…you’re not born a morning or non-morning person!
6. Saying, “I’ll go to bed early tonight”… fast forward to three am when you’re binge-watching Game of Thrones with bloodshot eyes at your computer.
7. Pretending that you don’t remember something when you’re drunk. Sometimes we are willfully blind to things we don’t want to see or acknowledge, and being “black-out”.
8. Saying “I’ll do it later”. Procrastination is something we’re all guilty about, but when we push something to a later time, let’s be real – it’s probably going to be waaaaay later.
9. The ol’ “just one more” lie. Be it a cookie, or chips, or a drink this is usually a sign that there are many more to come. Don’t lie to yourself, you know you’re gonna eat the whole Chips Ahoy box.
10. Spending hours on Netflix when you make a promise to yourself to just watch one episode. Let’s be real: who has ever watched just one episode.
11. Saying, “If I had more time, I would have done this.” Excuses and poor time management are the culprits behind this one! Own up to things and stay mindful and responsible – it’ll help you in the long run.
12. What we like to call “the snooze button” lie. Whenever you say “five more minutes “, it’s really more like 30 more minutes.
13. Thinking that you have a balance in your life and you’re not a workaholic when it’s only because you’re inside the situation – you really might be a workaholic but it’s hard to see that when you’re high-functioning and not seeing from an outside perspective.
14. Telling ourselves that we’ve over someone more than we really are.
15. “I’m not going to do anything on the first date” Yeah, right. Oh, self control what a confusing.
16. Saying, “If I cut corners, I can afford this”. Nope, even if you end up eating canned tuna the rest of the year, this will still make a dent in your wallet. But hey, worth it for fashion right? Not really, but whatever.
17. Having a holier-than-thou attitude and that you don’t judge others. We all like to think we’re fair, but you know deep down that you talk smack just like everybody else.
18. Saying that you’re too old for something. Many people make accomplishments well into their sixties and seventies (Nelson Mandela, anyone?) And youth is a state of mind, so don’t sell yourself short with that line.
19. Promising to cook healthy the whole week and to only get takeout once. When in reality, you know it’s going to go: pizza, pad thai, microwave macaroni and cheese, and spaghetti and tomato sauce that you will count as cooking, but let’s be real.
