Don’t Fall for Binary Thinking

All or nothing thinking is a tool diet-culture uses to keep us down and does not accurately reflect the myriad facets of our complex world.

Black and white, all or nothing, and either/or thinking is one of the most powerful tools diet-culture has in its tool belt to keep us hooked. Our brains naturally gravitate to it (two options are easier to manage than dozens), but because it doesn’t actually align with the grayness of our reality, we keep “failing” at these black and white mandates, reinforcing the misguided notion that we are the problem, not diet-culture.

This black and white thinking can show up in diet-culture thinking in a number of ways. For example:

1. It is never healthy to be a size X. 

2. All carbs are bad.

3. If you can’t do the full workout, it’s not worth doing it at all.

4. Only skinny people are pretty and it is necessary to be pretty in order to be worthy.

5. If I eat this cookie, my whole day will be ruined.

If you’ve noticed that you’re falling for the trap of black and white thinking, there are a couple of thought-retraining strategies you can employ to fight back against diet-culture when it shows up in this way:

1. Notice it. Some tell-tale hallmarks of black or white thinking are words like:

   • never

   • always

   • all

   • nothing

   • only

   • everything

2. Name it. Say to yourself (out loud if you have to!),

   “I’m using all or nothing thinking at this moment.” 

3. Try re-writing the thought using less absolutist terms. Adding phrases like “for the most part” or “when I can” are helpful for this step. For example:

If you can’t do the full workout, it’s not worth doing it at all .

Becomes:

I do the full work out when I can, but when I can’t, I can still enjoy some movement.

4. Consider three other options. Finding alternate ways to view the situation forces your brain out of binary thinking and into other possibilities. For a thought like “It is never healthy to be a size X,” you might try: 

• Many people who are size X are healthy.

• I do not need to be pursuing health in order to be treated with respect.

• Accurate measurements of health take into account more than size.

  5. Replace the words “either” or “or” with “both” and “and:”

  “Both skinny people and fat people are worthy.”

Are you ready to try it out? Give it a whirl and let me know how it goes for you. I love hearing from ya’ll.