So this post comes in the aftermath of a bit of disappointment. I found myself getting quite upset and frustrated, because it seems at times that regardless of the effort I put in to anything, the reward is only temporary, and I am quickly slipping back into old habits. All this work to earn money, eat clean, keep my house organized- and so quickly I find myself broke again, eating badly again, and my house a giant mess. Seems like a lot of effort and for what? To be right back where I started? Why do I even bother with trying? Maybe I should just give up and quit trying to reach my goals.
That's what I usually do after a slip-up, and I always end up feeling badly about it. Feeling defeated, hopeless, like a failure. Which leads to negative self-talk and more feelings of being a failure. I'm sure we've all heard the saying about insanity- "Doing the same thing over and over, but expecting different results". I am definitely guilty of this. Setting my expectations high, approaching the task with an all-or-nothing attitude, then getting upset when it doesn't work out perfectly. I've talked before about planning, so I won't go into much detail about why it is important for reaching goals, but instead I am going to speak about forgiveness. Instead of beating myself up for slipping up and failing to reach my goal, I will forgive myself and get back on track. Things happen, and no one is perfect. I'm sure even my idols fall off their diet plans at times. But instead of calling themselves names, and continuing to eat everything in sight, they get right back to eating clean again. I saw a quote today about failure not being a sign of weakness, but an indicator for new beginning with greater insight. A slip-up can become an opportunity to check in with ourselves and think about why we have set this goal in the first place. Why is this goal important to you? In my case, eating clean and healthy is important to me, because I am in the process of becoming a wellness counselor. It would be hypocritical of me to preach the benefits of eating well while I secretly eat junk food. But that has been what I've been doing. Additionally, I am quite frustrated with the effects of the junk food on my body. Excess weight, cellulite, and acne have been the bane of my existence for as long as I can remember. Since I hit puberty at about age 13, to be more precise, and I would have thought that nearly 20 years later, acne wouldn't be an issue anymore. But it is. And it really bothers me. The skin is our largest organ, and provides a barrier to the outside world. It protects our vital organs, tissues, and cells from being exposed to harmful toxins and chemicals. But when skin problems such as acne are present, it could be a sign of inner toxicity. Given that the acne has been pretty much constant, other than for a handful of times during my life, it makes me wonder if it is related to something internal. A digestive issue, a food intolerance, who knows. But clearly, what I've been doing hasn't been working. I have tried nearly every topical acne treatment, birth control, facials, tanning- everything short of Accutane, and while I have had some success with these treatments, the acne comes back as soon as I stop. These are merely treatments of the symptoms, not necessarily a solution to the problem.
So, in line with my goal of eating clean, I'm not doing it necessarily for weight loss (although that is a happy side effect of eating well), but for the greater benefits of it. Better sleep, clearer skin, healthy insides- there really are no downsides to feeding your body with optimal nutrition. Sure, it can be more expensive and time consuming, but the benefits far outweigh the costs. How do I feel after eating junk food? Sick, to be honest. So why do I continue to eat it? Because it's easy. It's familiar. Other people seem to be able to eat it without issues. But does it make me happy in the end? No. Does the energy boost I get from eating healthy food make me happy? Definitely. So, even though it's more work to eat well, it is worth it in the end. Even if you have an off day (or week, in my case), there is no reason not to get back on track with eating and living well. Take care of your body, it's the only place you have to live.
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