The Balanced Life, Huntsville Alabama

Last weekend I visited the city of Denver, CO, where a few of my family members live, and we had a wonderful weekend visit.

During my normal routine of work and taking care of myself, I exercise routinely and try to eat healthily most of the time. However, it seems that any time I get off my normal routine, I also get knocked off center of my positive attitude of taking care of myself. The trip to Denver was no different. While there, I did great and even got up one morning and did an exercise routine, which was a challenge since no one in my family exercises and no one wanted to join me. I was relieved I actually did the exercises since I was missing my normal Saturday work out. After all, I packed my work out clothes and traveled all that way with them. The least I could do was use them.

When I arrived home Sunday evening, I realized Monday morning was coming awfully fast. When I returned to my normal routine of exercise, work, and home, as usual, it was difficult to get back on track and follow my schedule. When I saw pictures of myself from the trip, I was disappointed because I didn’t like what I saw, although I’m pretty sure no one else noticed and even if they did, it doesn’t matter. The photos plus traveling threw me off track and in years past, would have derailed my healthy eating and exercise routines for months. However, as I often tell clients, it’s about progress not perfection, and I’ve been able to recover quickly.

We all have times when we feel better about ourselves by our choices, actions, and how we live our lives in general. We also have times when we get derailed and have a hard time getting refocused. I used to think it was just me and as I mature and settle well into middle adulthood, I realize we all go through this sometimes. It begs the question, what helps some bounce back quicker while others stay stuck? I believe it has to do with many factors and probably different specific coping strategies that work for different people.

No matter how you get yourself through tough times where you get off track, I suggest the goal is to make the derailed episodes farther apart (i.e. getting thrown off by seeing pictures of oneself), that the episode lasts a shorter amount of time, and the episode itself is not as extreme up or down as it has been in the past. Most people think others are not struggling with a particular “thing” like we ourselves are. However, everyone has something they are dealing with sometimes and if we can remember we are not alone or odd or bad, then we might be able to focus on what we need to do to refocus.

How do you get back on track if things get hard? Positive steps like journaling, remembering what helped us have success in the past, reflecting on what motivates us, and seeking help and accountability from our support systems are all ways to get back on track. And if nothing else, stop overthinking it and just do IT, whatever IT is.

If you feel stuck and need help in moving forward or figuring out why you’re stuck, please call us at The Balanced Life, LLC at (256) 258-7777 and we will help get you moving in the direction you’d like to go.