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Modern society teaches us an "All or Nothing" approach to all aspects of life. And how's that working for us??
... Are we healthier?
... Are we happier?
... Are we feeling a flow in our days?
... Are we feeling energy to take on whatever the day brings?
No. No. No ... and No!
Here's how most people approach their health and lifestyle practices and goals;
All in ..... OR ..... All out
If we're not "perfect" we beat ourselves up for "failing".
If we don't go ALL OUT all the time "it doesn't count".
If don't feel exhausted or struggling "we aren't improving ourselves".
If we aren't FORCING ourselves to do things we hate, "we aren't improving ourselves".
Once again we can ask ourselves; "How's that working for us?"
We've Done This Long Enough
We know so much more now about human psychology AND physiology to understand that we're just dragging ourselves down with this mentality. At Zenergy Health & Wellness, I coach people to progressively see how this mentality is a BARRIER NOT HELPFUL and how good it can feel when we move away from how most people are living their daily lives and approaching their health & lifestyle practices.
Instead of living at either extreme, I coach people to approach their health and lifestyle like a "dial" (or living on a "spectrum" between extremes) where we can turn the dial UP or DOWN depending on life, responsibilities, energy etc and STILL make PROGRESS, but without the "self-bullying bullshit". We may dip into one extreme or the other (though we don't have to or need to), but learning that being in either extreme for very long is NOT sustainable. So IF we dip in, we practice not staying there too long.
Zenergy Clients are Taking Hold of This Practice
My clients are buying into this effort of slowly moving away from the "All or Nothing" mentality of our modern society. They're recognizing it in their daily lives. EVERYWHERE! In so many things. It takes time, yes, but as they practice, it becomes their "new normal" and the "ah ha" moments, combined with FEELING BETTER ABOUT THEMSELVES and whatever they choose to do, gives them positive progress inside and out. They beat themselves up less inside. They feel proud of what they've accomplished. With that comes more ENERGY, MOTIVATION and ultimately, continued change and progress towards their individual goals.
A client this morning shared with me how happy he is with where his mind is at with his routine:
Things have been VERY busy for him in the past 2-3 months and he has done what he can in terms of consistency in his routines. He keeps his DAILY morning movement practice intact, and gets 2-3 strength routines in per week depending on energy levels / responsibilities. With all that he had on his plate, he was very much looking forward to a much needed vacation down south with family and friends.
His first session back this morning, he shared how his mentality has very much shifted from his past "All or Nothing" approach to his health practices. He said, in the past, through not only vacations but months like he's had recently, if he would have missed a day or two of his weekly routine, he'd be so mad at himself that he'd just scrap the rest of the week; That "why bother?" or "It doesn't count" mentality we've all experienced and/or still practice.
He shared with me how he's felt so proud of himself for NOT approaching his routines in that way and how good it feels!
... During busy weeks over the past couple months, he's looked to the foundations of his routines (his daily movement) and kept that intact as it's the easiest to do time, equipment and energy wise.
... He's given himself grace when his body is exhausted after busy days, which has also allowed him to not beat his body up.
... He's recognized how approaching his weeks with this mentality has allowed his consistency to be maintained longer than he's ever done in past efforts.
... He was able to go on his week and a half vacation and BE MORE PRESENT because he's not beating himself up for "missing a strength session" or "adjusting the routine".
... He even CHOSE to do his morning movement practice on the days there was room to do so while he was away. This wasn't in a way that he was saying "I 'have' to do this", but rather seeing an opportunity to fit in his self-care and saying "I 'can' and 'want' to do this"
Take Down Those Mental Barriers That are Ignored
My passion in my coaching lies here. Helping people to re-discover the possibilities of approaching health in an enjoyable way. In a way that DOES NOT practice "beating yourself up" or viewing efforts as "failures". Helping people move away from the "All or Nothing" mentality has been one of the most impactful elements of coaching others over the past few years.
None of us should be ashamed to re-learn it. I had to. The majority of people have to. When we begin to open our minds to living BETWEEN the "all or nothing" extremes, and allowing ourselves to turn the "dial" up and down AS NEEDED as we move through life...
We see and feel positive change to our deep health.
We feel GOOD inside and out.
We feel an ease to our health practices.
We feel motivated and energized to continue.
We CAN keep doing what we practice long term, BECAUSE it's easier, realistic and feels good.
HEALTHY living is NOT a punishment. It certainly should NOT feel BAD. It feels FREEING and GOOD. The mental game and your mindset in HOW you approach your health and daily lifestyle is a MAJOR part of that.
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You can read more about mindset here on the Zen Blog OR feel free to connect with 'Coach D' for a FREE 10min discovery call to see how coaching can help you step away from the "All or Nothing" mindset that's holding you back from positive changes in your health and wellbeing.
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