Changing Gears

My posts lately have been super whiny.

And I apologise for that.

But sometimes life just gets in the way of everything (especially when you’re living with something like diabetes), and everything just feels like complete crap.

Changing gears!

So today I’ve (officially, of course) joined something I saw on the wonderful Paleo Chef’s Instagram page; the “Stop Global Whining campaign”. She continues: “It’s lovely to assume that all the smiling and shiny posts mean we aren’t also all facing challenges. I’m grateful for my problems, trauma, losses, AND my flaws, they’ve made me into the woman I am today.” And I couldn’t agree more. Thanks for this, Mary Shenouda!

This means: away with the negative thinking, in with the smiles, happy feet and love.

You see, I figured out what my problem has been during the last few weeks – goal setting.

I’ve been setting my goals far too far in the future. It doesn’t matter right now what happens in 3,4 or 5 months time. It doesn’t even matter how you handle your stuff next week. To live in the now has become a very worn statement, but it doesn’t make it any less true.

If you’ve tried everything you can, and you’re still not happy with your results this is especially important. You end up feeling like a failure, a fraud and feeling bad for yourself. Not wirth it, not a single bit.

I know you have to work hard to achieve the things you do. All the planning, fights and tears (and blood and sweat) involved – I know it all. And I’m so proud of you that you keep going, even when things get rough.

But just then, when the proverbial sh*t has hit the fan, is when a longer term goal can ruin it all for you. You lose everything you’ve worked so hard to build, to gather and to achieve – motivation, happiness, and, to a certain point, control.

Instead of thinking of what you will have achieved, done and mastered in 3-6 months. Instead focus on what you can do RIGHT NOW to be the best that you can be?

What can you do today that will make you feel better? (and if all you can think of is to (re)watch “Orange Is The New Black” – that’s ok too. Sometimes change takes time, and you have to let it.)

What about tomorrow? How can you feel better than today? Can you choose better things to eat? Could you go out for a walk? Or perhaps watch those blood sugar readings with an extra eye? What your goal for that day is, is of course entirely up to you; no one else can tell you where you’re at in terms of accomplishing things.

But making plans and goals further in the future than that is, at this point, very much discouraged.

Remember that YOU have to feel good at the same time – you have to take care of you, and make sure that you’re healing from the blow to your self esteem you just had. And you can’t heal without kindness to yourself.

Once you get out of your rut and things start to feel better again, then please, go ahead and make your (secret) 5 year plan. The sky’s the limit and the World’s your Oyster!

Do you have a solid back up plan of how to get out of a rut? I’d love to hear it in the comments below!