All-or-Nothing Thinking

Imagine this: You wake up in the morning ready to start your new health plan. You squeeze in a quick workout and prepare a healthy breakfast before you head out the door to work. Later that morning, you’re called to the break room and there’s cake in celebration of your colleague’s retirement. You only have one slice, but immediately feel regret. You think to yourself, “I can’t believe I blew it! Now my whole day is ruined. I might as well do what I want for the rest of the day and restart tomorrow.” Sound familiar? 

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This is an example of all-or-nothing thinking. It describes how our brain tends to see the world in extremes: we are either perfect or a failure. It’s 100% or 0%. We either followed our plan perfectly that day or we blew it. But the truth is, one decision that isn’t in line with our goals does not mean that our next choice can’t be. One choice does not mean we need to give up for the rest of the day or restart after the weekend. 

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In the scenario above, an alternative thought in line with your health goals might be, “I wasn’t planning on eating a piece of cake today. It caught me off guard, but that’s OK. I’ll have only veggies as my side for dinner tonight and then I’ll take the dog for an extra-long walk instead of just going for our usual loop around the block.”

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Consider ways in which you engage in all-or-nothing thoughts in your own life. What thoughts do you have during these times and what might an alternative thought look like? 

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Remember, small changes made consistently over time add up to big results!