As you probably already discovered, the road to success in the area of health and weight loss is not a straight line. It’s a matter of getting back on track when you make a “mistake” just like you do in areas of your life where you already consider yourself to be successful—like in your marriage, with your children, your career or with any of your successful relationships.
Let’s say something isn’t right in your life. Take a moment to break down the process of how you get back on track. Next, look at what drives the shift in you to take the next right action (and not just continue on the road to misery).
Isn’t part of that process simply becoming aware of and actually feeling the bad feeling that comes with making a mistake, and wanting to avoid that in the future?
An unhealthy way to deal with the bad feeling that comes automatically when you deviate from your right life course is to feel and express extreme guilt, to excess.
When you do that, you often can’t bear the shame, and so it just feels easier to revert to the old, unwanted behavior as a way to consume yourself and prove to yourself that you’re flawed.
That’s an old pattern! Isn’t it time to release that nasty habit of beating yourself up and step into a healthier state of mind and living?
Here’s a healthier and more productive way to deal with the bad feeling that comes instinctively when you make a mistake (in all areas of your life) . . . Why not look at the mistake and what may have caused it first?
What if your trigger is just pent up stress from not exercising or being stuck indoors and being deprived of fresh air? Maybe the reason for your negative inner state is the fact that you’re not getting enough protein, or not processing your feelings and releasing them?
Armed with more self-awareness and self-understanding, it’s a lot easier to make a commitment to yourself to fix that initial trigger as much as you can and to do it pronto!
For example, you may make a decision to take a walk outside every day for 20 minutes, regardless of the weather. Wouldn’t that be freeing!
Maybe it’s time to plan ahead and carry around some turkey meat with carrots, or prepare salads in advance, and have healthy food available, so you’re not stuck somewhere with only a candy machine, starving, ready to bite someone’s head off!
How about setting some time aside regularly to journal about your feelings and release those buggers, so they don’t build up inside of you, like a volcano?
Another great idea that’s helpful when you decide to make healthy eating your number one priority is to connect with and make conscious of how bad it feels to eat processed, empty calories.
It’s not that you’re “bad” if you eat that stuff. It’s just helpful to remind yourself that oily, greasy, buttery, empty-calorie, sugary, processed food is disgusting!
And, those types of fake foods give you a whole lot of pain—mentally, physically and emotionally. Not the pleasure the food and advertising industries promise you—that’s for sure!
Isn’t it time to really notice how much better it feels to eat healthfully? Remember how empowering it is to eat only when you are physically hungry, as opposed to every time the world dictates that you “should” eat.
Remind yourself how good it feels to select only healthy foods and at the same time only items that you like (no nasty diet food!).
This is no different from realizing that it feels better to talk out an issue when there is a conflict with someone you care about, versus yelling at them and insulting them.
The point I’m making is that your healthy eating behaviors and recovering from mistakes can be as natural as having healthy boundaries and good relationships in your life.
What creates success in all areas of your life is a combination of mindfulness, intention, learning from mistakes and having a desire to be healthy, fulfilled and happy, over the long term.
To your health & happiness always,
Rena