Why the Words You Use and the Habits You Choose Are Important
We are about to head into the holiday season so we are going to need a little extra help to be prepared and protect our health- mentally and physically.
Do you know you could be hindering your progress without even knowing it??
If you are like me, you just said- “WHAT? Me? Getting in my own way? How could that be? I am the one that has the dream and wants to accomplish it so there’s no way that I would get in my own way.”
I hate to break it to you, but yes, we get in our own way with TWO of the easiest things to change- our mindset and our habits.
If you want to get a lot done and be happy with your progress, you have to keep an eye on these things.
Your mind is the director of this performance we call life. How you care for it will determine the rating you give yourself (who cares about how many stars, thumbs, tomatoes, etc someone else gives you!). So treat it the way it deserves!
Let’s talk about how the words we use impact your mindset.
Have you ever paid attention to how you talk to others? Do you speak easily or is the conversation strained? The way you talk says a lot about your confidence level, your mental outlook, the attitude you have about the situation, and can convey your feelings about those you are talking to.
The next time you are in a conversation, pay attention to your words and your body language.
Take note of how YOU feel in the conversation and check to see if your words match your feelings, if you like how the conversation feels, and what responses you are having to the language of the others in the room.
Besides how our words impact others, they also impact us in a way that happens without realizing it. The next time you talk to yourself (in your head or out loud), pay attention to the voice and how you talk to yourself. Do you build yourself up or put yourself down? Do you encourage yourself to keep going or tell yourself there is no use in doing this again?
This is an observation only assignment. No judgment allowed! To make a change you need to see it for what it is, not judge yourself on how you talk to yourself. If you don’t like what you are hearing and feeling, it’s time to make some changes.
“No breakthrough is going to come from more judgment” Brendon Burchard
Habits are also very much a product of our thoughts and the way we talk to ourselves. If you are always telling yourself you don’t have time to make healthy meals or that eating healthy is so expensive, your eating habits won’t change. That creates the trickle-down effect for your health (both mental and physical disorders can be impacted), energy levels, and even impacts brain function in all stages of your life. You need to be your own hype man/woman when it comes to changing any habit to become a better you.
Why is it important to do?
How can you make an easy transition to this better way of living?
Who can help you when you start to waiver?
I’m going to tell you about a few ways to make the change easier. Please, don’t try to overhaul your life all at the same time. That creates overwhelm and stress and is likely to result in a failed attempt or such a painful attempt that you won’t try it again in ANY aspect. So, like the old saying, “slow and steady wins the race.”
Step one: Assess your habits and the things you tell yourself about them.
If we stick with the same example above, how can you make this change to healthier meal choices?
Buy healthy food to keep in the house. A bag of apples and oatmeal can make an amazingly yummy and healthy breakfast. Warm or cold and made for the week in less than 15 minutes.
Meal Prep makes cooking easier. Your veggies are all chopped at the same time for the week and planning your meals in advance makes it easier to eat what you know is healthier. Even if it is cheeseburgers on your grill, it is better for you than the burgers you get from the King.
Daily routines are also super helpful in keeping a good mindset and reducing negative self-talk.
Morning Routines are as simple as what you do when you get up and get your day started. If you know you brush your teeth, stretch, meditate, and have coffee while journaling or fixing breakfast. You know you have your needs met for your hygiene, nutrition, body/movement and gets your mind ready for the day.
Having an evening sleep/downtime routine helps you close out the day. That could be after dinner you take a walk, shower, brush your teeth, and read for 30 minutes before you turn off the lights.
Step two: Plan for success!
What do you need to do to put yourself in a good position for achieving your goals?
Have food on hand that is healthy.
Meal prep to give me less decision fatigue.
Order groceries based on the meal plan to avoid overwhelm and wasted food.
Work with a coach that knows about nutrition and what I need.
Keeping a journal or log of your goals with the progress can be very motivating!
This year one of my goals was to get healthier and lose some weight so I don’t develop any of the conditions that being overweight puts me at risk for at my age. So, that will be an example I use a lot since I have been successful in not only losing weight, but feeling better (less sluggish, more energy, and also less joint pain!) this year.
Meal prep is great and one of the best ways to do that is to make some staple items for quick meals. Thinking about breakfast, you might be as obsessed with burritos as I am... so why not have a batch of this yummy tofu scramble on hand? Quickly heat this up on your favorite tortilla and you are good to go!
Overnight oats have also been a staple for my breakfast routine. Spending 15 minutes on prepping oats on Sunday afternoons while dinner cooks makes it easy to grab oatmeal after my morning routine and head into my office.
Lunch and dinner can be easy peasy with either this yummy coconut rice or some mac-n-cheezy. Having these easy items on hand helps you to not have to think about what you are having AND by making extra, you only have to make it once! Personally, I like to theme my weeks so most meals will be Latin flavored dishes one week, Italian flavored the next, etc. Sometimes I will pick a staple item and see how many ways I can make it. Cabbage is one of those things since it makes a lot of food and is very versatile.
To start I would suggest ordering groceries so you have healthy food on hand (fruit, pre-packaged salads, granola bars, etc) or start with a meal delivery program. It’s about the same as you would spend eating out and it gives you lots of variety with only a few minutes each week picking the meals you want, or you can let them choose if you are not a picky eater. It also helps with having a smaller pool of options for dinner so you grab the kit and are done in 30 minutes rather than an hour after looking through the cabinets for what you are craving. Small steps lead to the result you want.
Actionable items for you:
Notice the words you use with yourself and others.
Analyze how they impact your relationships and decisions.
Decide what ONE way you are going to change your mindset by changing the words you use.
Assess your habits: are they making you or breaking you?
Write down a series of small steps you can start to help you with your new habits.
Decide what ONE thing you are going to work on first to develop better habits.
Let me know how these work for you! You can find more content like this by following me on IG or FB at Patton a Passionate Life.
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Peace and Love,
Teresea
Photo credit: Unsplash
