You might have a huge desire to make a change, start eating healthier, exercise more and vow to start on Monday, only to fall back to your old ways by Thursday. You might have tried diet after diet, but nothing ever sticks. You might exercise daily, but aren’t seeing the scale budge. So, what gives? Wherever you are in your journey, there’s a huge reason why diet plans don’t last and your motivation fades. You’re focusing too much on the physical body, and less on your heart, mind and soul.
People often put so much focus on their bodies and food, but forget about the mental aspect, like how important your thoughts are, becoming aware of your blocks and self-sabotaging behaviors. No matter what diet plan you try to follow, if you aren’t improving your mental state, you will not see any type of physical change, long-term. Health starts from the inside out.
Are you setting a goal then losing your motivation?
Are you self-sabotaging yourself due to feeling unworthy?
Are you stuck in a viscous cycle of subconscious habitual patterns? (Emotional eating, binge eating, negative self-talk, etc.)
If you want to overcome self-sabotaging behaviors, break through blocks that have been holding you back, and really tap into the true essence of who you are, you must be willing to commit 100% to yourself and taking action to start manifesting the things you desire.
Here are some actions steps to get you there:
#1 Commitment to yourself: Promise yourself you will do whatever it takes to stay committed, no matter how many times you fail. Show up. Get back up. Never give up. You are worth it.
#2 Set a goal that isn’t body related: My personal goals used to revolve around being as fit, lean and shredded as possible. I was pretty good at sticking to my goals and accomplishing them, but they were never sustainable long-term. The most important lesson I learned was that having six-pack abs and shredded quads didn’t mean I was “healthy”. My goal now is to wake up feeling energetic, strong, sexy and deeply connected to my soul and intuition. This IS possible long-term.
#3 Examine your excuses: Write down a list of your excuses and begin examining the thoughts and feelings associated. Maybe your excuse for not working out, is you don’t feel confident enough with your body to be seen at the gym, so you end up not working out at all. Why are you completely giving up on yourself? What about going for a walk outside, or setting up a little at-home gym with resistance bands? If you started today and were consistent for a few weeks, think about how much your confidence would increase.
#4 Journal: Start your day writing down a list of intentions for the day. Throughout the day, jot down the emotions you feel as they come up. At night, finish the day listing 5 things you are grateful for. Letting your thoughts out on paper, instead of keeping them inside or trying to numb them as you might have done in the past, will start shifting your mindset. Writing can be very healing.
#5 Start Meditating: Commit to 20 minutes a day (or longer if you can), closing your eyes, focusing on your breathing and begin tapping in to your intuition. It takes time, practice and patience, but the more you commit, the deeper you will connect with your higher-self, which I like to call the soul-self (who you are at your core, without limiting beliefs, doubts or fears). Meditation can lead to a lot of self-discovery, intuitive hits, and healing.
#6 Be honest with yourself: Begin by writing a list of the things holding you back, then ask yourself the hard questions so you can develop a plan of action to change your habit.
Example: Whenever you feel sad or lonely, you tend to reach for cookies, ice cream or other sweets to make you feel better. Ask yourself, “What is it that my body really needs in this moment?” If the answer is comfort, take a nice warm bubble bath or cozy up with some hot tea and a good book. Eating a huge bowl of ice cream and a sleeve of cookies feels good in the moment, but you know it will only make you feel worse. The more you make a conscious decision for yourself, the more satisfied you’ll be and the easier it will be to continue making these better choices.
List out each of the blocks that you have and each habit you want to shift and set an action plan for each.
#7 Create a Mood-booster list: If you aren’t feeling your best, in order to change your state, and change the course of your day, you must shift your usual reaction or behavior towards the feelings you are having. By creating a list of mood-boosters, you can choose to do something more beneficial for you. My top mood-boosters are: breathwork, dancing, yoga stretches, taking a bath, drinking tea & a reading a good book, or going outside to get some fresh air and be in nature.
#8 Daily Mantras & Receiving: I began using mantras after being inspired by the book, The Universe Has Your Back, I started repeating mantras every time I was driving in my car. “Dear (God, Divine, Universe), I am open to receive the blessings intended for me” and “I choose love and let go of all fear” are two I repeated daily. The more I openly expressed my desires, opened myself up to receive, and put myself in a higher vibrational state, the more I started receiving these amazing signs from the Universe. Ask for it, pray for it, believe it, be open to it, and receive it. It is that simple.
#9 Daily reminders: We can all start off our day on the positive note, feeling super inspired and motivated, only to find ourselves falling back to our old patterns by 3:00 p.m. Setting daily reminders can help you refocus throughout the day. Set 3 separate alarms on your phone or place post-it notes around your house reminding you to check in with yourself and your intentions.
#10 Challenge yourself: Do something out of your normal routine and get yourself used to being uncomfortable, because there will be a lot of discomfort when it comes to change. Try a new fitness class, take a pottery or cooking class, start a blog, or stand in front of the mirror naked and dance around. Whatever it is, the more you do things that challenge you, the easier change will be. Plus, you might find a new passion or meet a new friend in the process!
#11 Seek Help: If you need the extra support or are struggling with a sabotaging behavior that is effecting your daily life, seek out a therapist or hire a coach who you feel aligned with and will challenge you a little deeper (not someone who will give you the same plan they give every single other client; someone who can give you the personal attention you need and can help you shift patterns in order to move closer to your goal).
#12 Love yourself, even your flaws: It will be difficult to make a change if you are coming from a place of hating your body or talking negatively about yourself. Be loving and compassionate, and don’t beat yourself up if you don’t follow the plan you set in place, perfectly. Think about how your life would change if you just began loving and accepting yourself in this very moment.
It takes a lot of hard work and commitment to overcome self-doubts, subconscious habits, and self-sabotaging behaviors, and take actions with loving intentions, but the more you commit, the easier it will be. The more you tap into your inner desires, work on the limiting beliefs and doubts holding you back, the easier it will be to move towards feeling your very best on the outside, which will result in long-term health and abundance.
I believe in YOU!
XO Stephanie
*For more guidance on this topic, feel free to reach out to me. I am always here to help.
