I was coaching a client not too long ago, whose goal was to lose weight. This was challenging because not only was her job high-stress, but she was also raising two kids and had a long commute to and from work.
When we first started coaching, she did a great job visiting my office to check her weight and share her food log. The log usually included "treating herself" to some high sugar desserts throughout the week. Because we had previously talked about work/life balance and finding ways to unwind after a hard day, she felt entitled to her "treats." The only issue was, she was extremely frustrated that her weight wasn't coming off.
“The definition of insanity is doing the same thing over and over again, but expecting different results.” -Albert Einstein
My client was correct, self-care is about treating yourself - but treating yourself well. Self-care isn't an excuse to derail your health goals, nor is it an opportunity to incorporate unhealthy habits into your routine. Celebrating by going on a shopping spree after you finally made a few payments on that high-interest credit card isn't treating yourself well (no matter how awesome you look in your new nude flats that go with everything). Putting yourself right back on the merry-go-round that stressed you out in the first place is not self-care. It is actually what Alcoholics Anonymous calls insanity.
So my questions to you are…
What are some habits that you'd like to remove from your routine to get off the merry-go-round?
What are some other ways you can treat yourself well?
Share your thoughts in the comments or on Facebook.