The all or nothing trap

Hi

Welcome to your weekly wellness tip.

Today I'm talking about the all or nothing mindset which is a common thread when trying to make change. It's setting massive unachievable and unrealistic goals like:

- I want to get fit so I'm going to go to the gym six days a week
- I want to lose weight so I'm going to cut out every single bit of ultra processed food out and survive on 1500 calories a day
- I want to feel calmer so I'm going to meditate for an hour every day

You know what I mean. And then what happens? Will power fades away, real life gets in the way and you end up feeling like a failure as the goals fall by the wayside yet again.

Your brain will automatically resist sudden, giant overhauls. To build habits that become automatic over time, you need to start ridiculously small. You then need to link them to existing behaviours which is known as habit stacking. Examples of some small habits could be:

You want to read more - read one page when you get into bed
You want to move more - eat dinner with your trainers on and head out for a five minute walk once you put your plate in the dishwasher
You want to drink less wine - pour yourself half a glass and really savour it, notice it, taste it, drink it slowly
You want to eat more healthily - add a new portion of plant food to your plate every dinner time

It's small shifts like these, done consistently over time, that create the biological changes without stressing your nervous system further.

In addition, there's often way more to behaviour change which you aren't even conscious of. So it's also about getting to the root of what's going on for you, uncovering your belief systems, understanding your values, figuring out your needs and so much more.

A professional like myself can support you with all of the above. along the way, bring structure to your wellness aspirations and who can provide you with evidence based tools and techniques to support you along the way.

Get in touch if I can support you.

Antonia x