Juggling a busy schedule? Simplify your Health Goals
Life can get hectic from time to time, for some of us it might even feel hectic all the time; this can make maintaining healthier habits feel overwhelming, if not impossible, to maintain.
Mental stress from balancing a busy workload, keeping up with household tasks, juggling drop off/pickup or extracurricular activities for kids, attending social events, and so forth taxes our brain and zaps our mental energy. This drain on our energy can lead to feeling less motivated to do things like exercise, meal plan, meditate, or turn off the TV and head to bed rather than watch "just one more" episode of that TV show. Mental fatigue can also make it more challenging to make healthier eating decisions or give ourselves space to consider a more supportive choice when cravings or stress eating arise.
In these moments, many people tend to describe themselves as not having the willpower, drive, or ability to stay on track. I don't like to see it this way; not only is it disempowering to have these labels attached to us, but they are also loaded in judgment and dismissive of the very real experiences people live through. We don't deserve to be demeaned in this way (or any way truly) by other people or ourselves.
While there is a level of discipline involved in building healthy habits, we don't lack discipline simply because life has gotten more busy and we're having to reprioritize. In fact, I would argue that acknowledging you're needing to tap the brakes somewhere within your lifestyle change habit-building is displaying a level of discipline. You are so committed to your journey and your goals that you're willing to be vulnerable by speaking up and saying "hey, this isn't working for me right now." The important next step in this is to allow yourself the freedom and flexibility to simplify your plan to better fit into your life as it is right now so you can stay consistent with habits that support your goals.
I recommend starting by identifying the area where you're facing the most difficulty, then selecting one single action to do each day that will help improve that specific area. Below are four common focus areas, along with examples of small actions you can take:
When things settle down, or when you feel like you have the capacity to take on another action, you can reassess and choose the next action. For the time being though, we're simplifying your plan to help you continue making progress.
You don't have to navigate this alone! If you'd like guidance and coaching, I would love to support you. Schedule a FREE 15-minute consultation to start your health coaching partnership.
