How to create life-long healthy habits
One of the most annoying things about our habits is we know what is best for us but we don't do it or we don't stick to it enough to reap the benefits.
Just as we know getting outside and exercising keeps us revitalised and toned, we know drinking too much alcohol or snacking instead of proper meals is going to pile on the pounds and make us feel sluggish.
If only it was easy to change our habits. It's frustrating I know because the voice in your head says, "you've tried before, why bother?"
You're not alone!
I used to have out-of-control sweet cravings. Literally everyday at least once a day, usually in the evening I would do something called habit-stacking. I'd make a herb tea, grab a handful of snacks and switch the TV on.
This would be fine if I didn't end up feeling so rubbish energy-wise and get all-sorts of niggly symptoms like spots, headaches (with peri-menopause) and frequent colds. So really it wasn't fine at all. My poor body was screaming at me!
Is this you? Or is it several glasses of wine while you make dinner each night?
The question is do you want to stop sabotaging your health and get back in control?
Maybe you're doing your dream job, your kids are growing up and happy and this is the final piece of the jigsaw you're wrestling with and you really want it. You really want to feel in control of your food; happy, healthy and inspired but you just can't do it.
"What's wrong with me?" you angrily say to yourself as yet again your healthy meal plan goes out of the window.
But it's not easy and success isn't based on strong willpower. I'll tell you why.
Your thoughts drive your choices which repeated create your habits which create results which inform your beliefs and so the cycle continues (Chasing Cupcakes by Elizabeth Benton)
Thoughts -> choices -> habits ->results -> beliefs -> thoughts
Your inner child
The work I do is to get underneath this cycle and one part of this is to revisit your childhood to discover what your limiting beliefs are.
Beliefs such as, "I'm not good enough, I'll never succeed, I can't ask for what I want or I might get rejected..."
(These can be carried down from your ancestors too by the way, not just created from your childhood experience.)
And what happens is they cause stress because they're not in alignment with who you truly are at your core.
This is actually what stress is by the way. You may think it's because of external events such as a heavy workload or unkind words but they're just the trigger. It's the thoughts you think (based on your beliefs) in reaction to these things that induces stress.
This work I do may sound heavy but I want you to know something really important
The process I use to help you isn't tedious and long-winded. With willingness, open-ness, trust and guidance, the simple acknowledgment of past experiences which have negatively impacted you is enough to create a shift that enables you to let go of the past, take a weight off your shoulders and re-wire your thoughts.
This process gives you renewed energy and focus on your wellbeing - your wants and wishes in life.
You feel less self-critical when things go wrong, lighter and more proactive.
Life is a lot lot easier even when things don't go right, you handle them better because you are less burdened, less stressed. It's worth it I promise.
Doing this work gets you phenomenal results when you combine it with daily tools to change your mindset AND nutritional insights - my unique combination at FULLER NUTRITION
No-one gets out of childhood unscathed.
No matter how happy your childhood was, there will have been moments when your needs weren't met and limiting beliefs were formed because a child is dependent on adults for survival and their brain lacks the ability to rationalise.
When things go wrong, they will internalise the experience, blame themselves and adapt their behaviour at future cost to themselves if this isn't realised in adulthood.
Everyone benefits from awareness of their inner child ( your emotional self) and honouring him or her.
Being able to soothe and self-regulate in times of high emotion and when you want to achieve certain goals can be the difference between sabotage and success of those goals
"Revisiting little Rachel was very profound for me and I've never gone back there really and if so then only with sadness and fondness so it was good to go through that with you.
It helps me to understand emotions of the past, what I've held onto and what has a negative impact.
Taking that time and not being rushed was so good for me.
I am so committed to making this journey of change from very bad habits and emotions. I very much look forward to our next session."
- Rachel
Best
Sophie xox