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Society is constanting pushing us to do MORE. I'm not saying don't challenge yourself or strive to continue to create positive change, but I strongly suggest we IGNORE the pressures around us and FIND/CREATE our own personal balance in our health and lifestyle. The MAJOR issue in today's modern world and the "more more more" push is that we humans are NEVER happy with our health and health practices. We always are made to feel like we're "behind" or "not doing enough".
I have a quick little client story to share that speaks to the power of BEING YOURSELF and DOING WHAT FEELS GOOD and RIGHT for YOU, NOW.
One of my youngest clients, in his early thirties had back surgery on his L4-L5 region, twice since 2016. He came to me with a goal in mind, but the primary target was to create strength and confidence in his body again. To eliminate the fear of being active, while still being smart and safe is his target above all other goals.
We are just over 6-months working together and we have often discussed the "All or Nothing" mentality, which he (was) "very good at". That was absolutely, like so many of us today, how he approached his health and wellbeing. If it wasn't ALL OUT, it was NOTHING. There was no in between. This created periods of frustration, negative self-talk and setbacks. Ultimately, as many of us come to learn eventually, that leads us no where in terms of progress and certainly is NOT sustainable.
He was in this morning for his last session before a much needed and well deserved vacation with his girlfriend and family. I checked in with him about his strength sessions at home, as I didn't see them completed in his calendar in my app over the past week or so. Though he has been doing his daily movement work.
(Here comes the progress that we can't see, yet is VERY impactful... )
He's been on the go the past 4-6 weeks and wiped at times due to a combination of work, prepping a rental property for tenants and moving into a home with his girlfriend. He hasn't had the energy to always fit in strength work as we originally planned (for the time being). We've discussed this previously as well, so I was aware of all these things.
Where the progress came in this morning's conversation was when he said "I'm happy with what I'm doing right now". He brought up our discussions about how all the things he's doing throughout his weeks is still being active, moving and at the same time using energy. All the more reason to not stress about MORE and to balance his energy and load on the body.
His approach the past couple week's and mindset has been a big shift from a little over 6-months ago when we started:
-He's GOOD with doing "enough" without forcing MORE on himself that would just drag him down physically and mentally.
-He's shifted into a mindset of "I don't have the energy/ability this week for 'x', but I CAN do 'y'" and he puts it into action.
-He's recognized that doing his daily movement routine along with his REAL LIFE physical work he has on the go right now, is GOOD and he's happy with how he feels in what he's doing and how he's approaching it.
-He recognizes that forcing himself to do MORE strength work (for now when things are busy) would drag him down and create negative self-talk if he added that pressure on himself. Instead he's approaching it with "what CAN I do that will make me feel good and be happy in my practice"... and doing it consistently.
This is how we can create sustainable change
What this client is actively doing is not only practicing moving away from the "All or Nothing" mentality, but he's also practicting self-compassion. He's creating the understanding that we can't do it all and that we only have so much to give each day. The question is, are we putting that energy where we WANT it to be and where it NEEDS to be on that given day/week? He's creating his own path of balanced focus, effort and even comfort along the way allowing himself (as he put it this morning) to continue to progress, even if it's a little bit slower; It's still forward progress.
I would argue however, that progress in the mind like this example is taking HUGE steps forward!!
We have our whole life ahead of us where the only trophy at the end of our life is that of the life we LIVED and CREATED.
Why beat ourselves up? Why drain ourselves? Why hold ourselves back?
Imagine if we ALLOWED ourselves to BE HAPPY with ourselves more often??
That would feel pretty damn good I'd say!
Especially in this client's case, being in his early thirties, he has plenty of time to move, be happy, enjoy a life he wants to create from within himself. His work over the past half a year, in slowly moving away from the "All or Nothing" mentality and into a more helpful and realistic one is going to allow him to not only manage his pain and reduce his risk of future injuries, but he's going to thrive in the choices he makes along the way.
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If you want to learn more about how to practice a mindset that will HELP YOU create positive change in your deep health practices, connect with 'Coach D' and let's have a chat!
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