Find A Better Path to Wellness by Adding Rather Than Taking Away
When considering how to conquer unhealthy habits and improve your wellbeing, one of the biggest hurdles is fear of change. While some hesitate to make changes for fear of failure, others dig in their heels and prefer to remain in the comfort of old habits, even if those habits are undeniably unhealthy.
Why Old Habits Die Hard
Fear of change may trigger memories of having something “fun” taken away from us when we were kids as a type of punishment. To transform their health, some people are convinced that they will have to give up things they enjoy. Furthermore, there is a fear that working with a professional will result in implementing a whole list of “what you can’t have anymore”. Think of all the fad programs that mandate a list of restrictive rules and things to eliminate from your life. No one wants to sign up for that depressing journey.
Your habits didn’t become an established part of your life overnight, so it’s reasonable to acknowledge that it will take time and effort to change them. It’s highly unlikely that you can go “cold turkey” or go “all in” with a drastic change and expect success.
Here’s what really works – for habits and lifestyle to shift, instead of focusing on taking away, you get to add new things into your life, bit by bit.
Nurturing Better Habits By Adding
One client was convinced no one could help her when it came to leaving behind unhealthy habits. Working with me, we focused on losing weight by nurturing a positive mindset and healthier habits around food. During our sessions, she became encouraged to commit to add one new thing into her life.
One of her goals was to eat better during the workday. Rather than a drastic clean out of her refrigerator and pantry, she started by adding a small number of vegetables through the week. Bit by bit, we noticed a ripple effect: as each little addition became comfortable, it was easier to add one more small thing. Soon, carrots turned into an attractive snack, and the mid-day candy bar did not seem as enticing.
Adding Positives Led to a Positive Mindset
Working through her transformative journey, she delighted in never once feeling as if she had to deprive herself. Instead she found an ease in adding one more small thing that was good for her.
Her wellbeing focus included sustaining positive changes in herself and appreciating her own body. It was important to her to be a role model for her kids and to feel better. She wanted to be able to show herself to the world as she wanted to see herself.
Her Transformation Was In Her Power
She lost over 20 pounds in 6 months and celebrated by buying a great dress to reflect how good she felt in her body. Her new behavioral shift came from within herself, not by following a guru or program or book. She worked with me to uncover choices and discuss goals and accountability. Good choices became a habit because her own decisions and actions were making her feel better.
She was surprised by her own success, and by the discovery that results emerged with the mindset shift to take care of yourself and to show the world who you really are. When you’re feeling fabulous about who you really are, you can show externally what you’re feeling internally.
She initially thought her goal was weight loss and soon discovered it was about self care and wanting to feel better. She fit into her new body and new life by adding, not depriving.
When I work with you, I help you find the best approach for YOU, and each experience will be as unique as each client. It’s never the same for everyone and it’s never down to just the one thing. This is why those self-help books and programs and courses typically fall short of doing the job they promise. It takes the two of us to explore and unravel and clarify and discover what’s really happening behind the scenes and what will work for you and your situation.
Let’s schedule a discovery call to discuss your goals and challenges.