Finding Comfort in the Uncomfortable

If you never read another blog post from me, read this one. It matters and will change the way you think about your health and wellness choices....IF YOU TAKE THE LEAP.

Every day we are faced with choices, some easy breezy and others that we contemplate and procrastinate until we are absolutely sick at our stomachs.

In my life, I've dealt with an incredible number of uncomfortable situations. I seem to thrive on the "empowerment after party". My earliest uncomfortable adult memory was going to my first "real" job training at 21 which required me to room with someone I did not know and I was 5 hours from home.

The butterflies, the anxiety, the dread....UNCOMFORTABLE WATERS AHEAD. I played out every imaginable situation for the week of training that I'd be faced with. I tried to experience the emotions before any of those situations even occurred. I worked myself into an absolute mess the night before my first actual day of training.

As you have probably already guessed, the training turned out to be an amazing experience. I made a new friend, I excelled in training and it was the foundation that set my 20+ year successful corporate career that followed. And....I still laugh at the memory of my roommate and I almost burning down our room. Ah, 1994....25 years later and I wonder if Pam McGill still laughs about this as I do.

So, what did I learn in 1994 that I'm sharing with you today? We can change the "mental set-up" to any situation to enhance our experience. The power of our "mental set-up" can be what makes or breaks our efforts to make healthier choices.

Take for example going to the gym for the first time, going to a new gym or going back after a long stretch of couch potato'ism. We envision how we are going to look as we begin to die a slow death

those first 15 minutes of cardio. We picture our ugly sweat faces, our poor form, the uncomfortable walk of shame as we step our first steps into the gym, and we picture all of the other members eyeballing us as we find our spot in the room.

I've been there. I've actually left my house, pulled into the gym parking lot and pulled right back out and headed home. My mental set-up was so negative that I threw up my protection wall and blocked that GYM BITCH so fast she could not hurt me.

You can also use dieting as an example. We buy a new cookbook, we buy a meal plan online or meal service, we announce to the family that Twinkies are no longer allowed in the house, and we make a grocery store run that would make the food police throw away their ticket book.

Then, we lay in bed the night before and think about how hard it's going to be to fight sugar cravings, we tell ourselves that we are going to be STARVING tomorrow, we focus on the restriction we have awaiting us in just a few hours, we can hear the complaints of our family at dinner as they choke down our healthier version of mac n cheese. WOW, isn't our new diet going to be so much fun...I can't wait to start tomorrow!!! HELL TO THE NO...so we get out of bed and eat a bag of powdered doughnuts from the pantry as if it's our last meal before being strapped into the electric chair. Now...I'm not admitting to the doughnut example above. I'm just sharing what a friend did....lol!

THIS IS THE REASON WE HAVE FAILURE TO LAUNCH! OUR MENTAL SET-UP will kill our ability to step into action towards achieving our goals.

MY TIPS FOR CREATING A POSITIVE MENTAL SET-UP TO ANY UNCOMFORTABLE SITUATION:

1. Commit to be comfortable with being uncomfortable. Routinely put your self in situations that are uncomfortable. The more you summon your warrior goddess within the more empowerment you will harness.

2. Visualize times when you overcame an uncomfortable or difficult situation. How did that situation positively impact you? How did your life change because of your strength to step past being uncomfortable?

3. Only allow your mind chatter to speak positively to you. Focus on the benefits and repeat them over and over.

4. Envision what your life will be like if you reach your goals

5. Envision what your life will be like if you don't take action.

6. Enlist a friend to just be your mental set-up buddy. Give them the role of keeping you accountable to only focus on the positive of the action you are about to take.

7. Reward yourself

I promise you, if you will follow the 7 steps above you will be empowered and it will truly change your approach to uncomfortable feelings during your health and wellness journey! Now...GO GET SOME CARDIO IN, SWEAT SPARKLE, EAT SOME BEAUTIFUL GREEN BROCCOLI, AND HAVE FUN!