Lessons from a Kitten

One of my teachings of being around the Youngsters from a previous blog brought through about the importance of:

·         taking steps

·         leaping and

·         keep climbing

Even when we fall or fail to honor a promise to ourselves, or seemingly go in the wrong direction. Whether a new way of life, a new food plan, or a new routine, there will be missteps, times in which we barter with ourselves thinking this time we will be able to eat just one serving, buy just one thing we need, or have one beverage.

Some of the keys are accountability, changing of routines, finding a way to pause for 90-seconds, and choosing a new route, response, choice or decision. Whether shifting from an immediate emotional response, a habit structure in the house, or changing:

·         The way you go to the office

·         What you do upon your return to the house

·         Even taking a early dinner break before returning to the office

No matter how big or small the change, it can help one release a pattern and build a new routine.  And a delay of 90-seconds can mean the difference between staying on track with a new food plan or giving into an old craving. 90-seconds can support a promise to yourself or have you continuously feel guilty about the extra servings or ability to hold firm.

Having been someone who was challenged by certain foods for me I started by not purchasing the items every week. I found it was okay as long as the package, box or container remained sealed, but once it was opened it was challenging to stop at one serving of whatever it was. That said, when it is in the house eventually, we will open it – and then what.

I often wondered what emotional pattern caused the shift for as long as I lived at home, I was always a person I categorized as a person who ate to live who could eat one serving or none at all regardless of the item being there. I am working my way back to that after several years of emotional eating and quickly bypassing the heart or the pause.

It is finding what is the key for you individually. For me not going to grocery stores that have everything or ordering online for pickup or delivery allows me to shift some patterns, even choosing to go to different stores or locations has been beneficial.

When you don’t have solo control over what is in your pantry, refrigerator or freezer, asking yourself a series of questions can be beneficial too such as:

·         Is this item going to serve my goal

·         Am I actually hungry or is this an emotional response or

·         Am I hungry or is this feeding a routine or old habit

·         Do I want food or am I actually thirsty

·         What nourishment does my body, my heart, my brain, my circulation require now

·         Am I bored versus hungry

What action, choices, new solutions can I bring in to nourish and support my body and feed it what it really requires?

Exercise

On a piece of paper, draw 2 columns.

In the first column, Create a list of 5 to 10 items, responses, routines that are your biggest challenges.

Identify a new action, choice, or experience in the second column for a simple flip, reframe, or quick change you can do instead.

Copy this document and place it in key challenge locations such as the front of the refrigerator, the door between your garage and home, your home office, the pantry, on your phone, and your vehicle as well as other key places known to you.

As you begin to make changes, add more items to columns one and two as there may be secondary items that surface. Know that this is a journey of lifestyle changes, rarely is there a quick fix, but like a kitten, puppy, or baby, we too can continuously make new choices, continue to take new steps to learn, modify, grow and heal.