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We start out well on a plan, and then – we’re off the rails for any of a dozen reasons.
It’s not like we plan it. We have great intentions of staying on track, but often in a split second, our intention/resolve/willpower blips. We can justify it in the moment. To be fair, that is how humans manage. Whether it’s a minor breaking point or a major one, it’s significant enough to shake our resolve, and we rattle down that road until the result is uncomfortable enough to jolt us back. We may stray into the shame-blame-loath tango and beat up on ourselves because of it, which helps us so much, right? ☹
- Stop the shame-blame-loathe tango. You do not deserve that.
We know it doesn’t help, but we hope it will motivate us enough, yet it’s hard to do when we don’t feel good about ourselves. I call my Facebook group the Your Healthy Confident Life because that’s what we WANT to feel. Yes, maybe a size or number on the scale motivates some, but it’s feeling healthy, being able to do things easily, and that tends to make us feel confident. Yes? It’s almost impossible to feel healthy and confident when you beat up on yourself.
AND, listen to Renée now: Seriously – you do not deserve that beating. If you think you do, let’s have a chat. Sometimes one good conversation can make all the difference.
TOP Detour
By far, the most common reason for a detour is stress. If you didn’t struggle with it through the end of 2019, 2020 and beyond have pushed stress levels off the charts. Make no mistake, this kind of worldwide fear, uncertainty, and disruption – it’s made us more than just a bit edgy. It added a layer of trauma to our day-to-day, and that often pushed tempers, fears, and choices to the limit. Add jobs, family, politics, and world events, and we truly need comfort and soothing. Serious soothing. Just not with food.
The office world is still trying to figure out what is the appropriate dress code as their people return or continue to work remotely. It’s made things that should not be stressful an issue.
For Stress: What To Do
A start? Breathe. No, it won’t feel like you’re doing much, but take 30 seconds right now. Slowly breathe in and out. If you invest yourself in it, it will make a difference. This is why things like visualization, meditation, prayer, and hypnosis work. It slows us down so we can get oxygen to our brains.
Go outside if you can – or at least get to a window and just look outside. Even an aquarium helps. Somehow, as we watch fish, a bird, the trees, notice the leaves, a flower, or blades of grass.
Give yourself even a minute, and tell me how you feel.
It doesn’t feel like you’re doing anything, but I know you’ll feel better. The only way to manage stress is to intentionally relax.
