You Are Human, You Won’t Always Be Consistent

And guess what…

Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash

That's ok!

You will wander off the track. Growth is when you wander off the track but have the awareness and skills to guide yourself back.

I first want to start by wishing everyone a HAPPY NEW YEAR!

2024, how did that happen?

2023 was manic for me to say the least and writing regularly was one of the things that kept getting put at the bottom of the to-do list.

So of course, being January, like everyone else, I have set myself some new goals for 2024. Dedicating one day a week to writing is one of them.

But while I was reflecting on the obligatory ‘’new year, new me’’, I was also reflecting on the pressure we can put on ourselves to be the perfect version of ourselves when heading into a new year.

We usually lose our shit over the festive period, letting all of our healthy habits and structured routines we work so hard on throughout the year fall apart.

If you are anything like me and you thrive off routine, all this inconsistency can have a horrible impact on your mental health. I find myself feeling really low, my energy is down, I’m eating crap, and I’m always tired, so I always go into the new year determined to feel my best self.

I find the trouble starts when we have our long list of healthy habits we want to kick start for the new year and we have all this motivation to succeed, only to run out of gas three weeks in cause it’s all just a little too hard.

Usually, in these circumstances, we would throw our hands up and say ‘’ Ahhh well, I tried, maybe next year’’.

Reframing

I think if we can reframe our mindset around these mishaps, we will find it easier to find ourselves back on the right track.

Instead of throwing the towel in as soon as the going gets tough, take a moment to acknowledge that YOU ARE HUMAN! And guess what, as humans, we are never 100% consistent all the time.

Unfortunately, somewhere along the journey, it has been nailed into us that we have to be consistent all the time and if we aren't, well then we have failed.

This really could not be any further from the truth and the reality of life. Growth, healing, and all-around life, in general, is not linear. You go forwards, backwards, and sideways at times, but as long as you keep moving, you are growing.

The next time you find yourself not being consistent with whatever goal you have set for yourself, pause.

Pause and say to yourself ‘’ I am human’’, and acknowledge that it is OK to not be consistent all the time.

Having the awareness and compassion towards yourself that you will wander off the track regularly, is a game changer and so empowering.

Growth is when you wander off the track but have the awareness and skills to guide yourself back.

Regain control and be intentional with your actions.

Pick 3 things or habits that will help you get back on the path you want to be on.

My top 3 habits for regaining control are…

▫Sleep — A lack of sleep impacts our energy levels, mood, the food we eat, and so much more. Get back into a good sleep routine and stick to it!

▫️Mind — When I fall out of rhythm with what I am trying to achieve my mind suffers. I find myself overthinking, being irrational, and feeling low, and anxious. Daily meditation and regaining that control over my mind eliminates the obsessive overthinking about the stage I should be at.

▫️Movement — Daily movement, which can be 10 minutes, is a necessity to move stagnant energy out of the body and boost endorphins. Even better if you can get outside as it reduces cortisol, the stress hormone. Once we feel more balanced in ourselves it is much easier to pick up on our goals.

Having empathy and compassion towards myself when I am not consistently achieving is one of the most difficult things I have had to learn but it has changed my life.

Don't let society's version of how your growth should be, get you down.

Remember — just keep swimming!

Corey ❤️