There is a fine line between "Making It Work" and "Hot Mess".
Some weeks, that line is finer than others. I've already mentioned last week was a tough one for me. The reasons don't even matter too much in this sense, because as wonderful as life is, it'll never stop being hard; stress is here to stay. So if we wait for a lull in our lives in order to embark on making the changes we want, we are waiting on false sense of reality. This - the here and now - is what we have to work with.
So what is it that makes the difference between moving bravely forward(or in some cases, faltering and with trepidation, but still forward nonetheless)and falling apart?
I don't pretend to be a guru on a hill that has the answer to all of life. And I won't take a complex question and distill it to a three point system to follow. But Iwilltell you one thing I found helpful between last week and this week:
A PRE-WEEK RITUAL.
Here's what I know from my own experience: taking just a small amount of time to look ahead at the coming week before I'm in the middle of it is often the "make or break" for me, especially if those weeks are particularly packed, stressful, or go off the rails. On a good week when I make the time, here are three things I try to do on or by Sunday:
Stop and Think. I've got a long way to go on the disciplines of journaling and meditation, but in a way, this moment of pause encapsulates a bit of both. I grabbed this idea from Chandler Stevens, who is a guru. With paper and pen in hand, I:
Look back at last week. What happened and how did it go? What were the obstacles? How can I reduce the friction?
Look ahead to this week. What's coming? What are my priorities? Where do I need help?
Realistically assess my bandwidth. This one's important. How much gas will I have in my tank to do all the things? Do I need to scale back in order to make it work?
A Plan for Dinners. Breakfast is about the same in our house every day. Our lunches are most often contingent on dinners, which means that dinner for us are an important lynch pin of healthy eating. Taking just a few minutes to sketch out what I'll be doing and post it on the fridge means I don't have to use those precious brain cells later in the week when my capacity is lower.
A Grocery Run. The dinner plan doesn't matter without the goods! And if the raw materials are there, you can improvise a healthy meal more easily on the fly if you have more options to work with. One of my non-negotiables is to have at least one fruit or veggie with every meal, no matter what. So I want to be sure I have fresh produce on hand, as well as frozen and canned.
You'd think my mental state would be more tied to whether sh*t hits the fan or not, but often I think the right amount of pre-planning can help ground me in a way that makes a huge difference, even for the things I can't predict.
This idea is also the foundation that Scrappy Wellness is built on: not making the biggest changes, but the most effective ones. Here's a little more about the program:
SCRAPPY WELLNESS: the 2021, Anti-Resolution New Year's Program
What might happen if we replaced:
"Full steam ahead then fizzle out" with
"Small, consistent, & steady changes"?
Enter Scrappy Wellness, possibly the only 2021 Wellness Program that's asking you to half-ass your way to your goals. Here's what you get:
A detailed, weekly workout program that everyone has time for (for real),
Two months of recipes laid out in monthly plans,
Nutrition de-mystified with specific things to work on so you know what you are doing,
Regular Trainer Accountability and Group Support,
...and more!
Interested? Email me here and I will send you an info sheet with more details.
This program starts February 1. There is a minimum client number needed, so reach out today to talk to me AND your friends!
