Knowing When It’s Time for Change
Many people may feel stuck right now and are looking for a change. Stuck at home, stuck with kids, stuck without a job, stuck without insurance. Our new world is creating a new sort of holding pattern -- for some people, it’s a new beginning. But for others, it can feel like a washing machine cycle of drudgery. So how do you change your life when you feel stuck?
Maybe it’s not even a matter of going through the emotions. Maybe you’re in your comfort zone. But maybe you feel like you’ve been in this zone for too long. Maybe you’re feeling it’s time to move forward. But when you try to take those next steps, you keep finding yourself… stuck.
When you get to that particular place -- where you know you need to move on, but you just can’t -- it might be time for change. This feeling we all get sometimes seems to stem from the need for growth.
Growing Towards Your Goals
This is the sign that it’s time to make a change. Maybe you’ve been doing everything in your power to get to your goal A1C. But when your latest lab results come back, you’re not quite there. Maybe you told yourself 6 months ago that you were going to create a daily walking habit for yourself, which never came to pass. Maybe you’re simply feeling stuck during all this quarantining, or maybe you feel stuck with your current health plan.
Whatever your story, know that your feelings mean something. This is your inner self telling you: it’s time to keep moving, to keep growing, and to keep going.
In order to keep learning, thriving, and evolving (all things that keep us out of that rut), it’s important to have a goal. And it doesn’t matter what your goal may be -- big or small. It’s just important to find and set a new goal to challenge yourself.
What is it about goals that are so vital to getting unstuck? When you set and reach a goal, the feelings of accomplishment and pride you will create for yourself are priceless. But it’s not just about getting to the end goal. In fact, the journey towards that goal (whether you make it there or not) is equally as important.
Once you set a goal for yourself, you’ll find yourself doing things each and every day to get to that goal. The things you choose to do may or may not get you closer to reaching your goal. But it’s not so much about achieving the goal as much as it is about who you’ll become during the process of getting to that goal.
How to Get Unstuck
- From here, the most important next step is assessing your current situation. What is it that’s causing you problems? What is it that’s keeping you from feeling better or stronger? What got you to this place? What’s keeping you from thriving?
- Next, determine a goal*. Is it for more blood sugars in range? Is it to eat more natural foods? Is it to be more active with your grandson? Is it to reduce your medication dose? Maybe it’s to practice gratitude daily; perhaps your goal is to lessen your caffeine intake.
Realize what’s holding you back, then create a goal that could potentially get you out of the rut.
It doesn’t matter if this goal is big or small -- what matters is that you start. And the best place to start is with a clear goal in mind. Once you’ve got your goal, write it down somewhere. Make it a statement -- an oath, even.
*Note that when determining your goal, it’s not about solving all the stuck areas in your life at once, otherwise you will become overwhelmed. Assess one problem, and set one goal that could fix that problem.
- Then, recognize the steps you’ll need to work out along the way. This could include one or many different stops along your way, but what do they look like? What might you come up against? What will you do when you you’re at that stop? How will you handle the situation?
Now, you’ve got a solid game plan. You’ve mapped out where you need to go and how you’re getting there.
Along the way, it’s important to be patient with yourself. While you’ve set your goal and mapped out how you’re getting there, it’s important to take your steps day by day. If your goal, for example, is to see more blood sugars in-range, don’t judge yourself too harshly when you check and find that you’re not in-range.
Instead, flip your perspective:
- What can you learn from this certain step?
- What steps did you take to get here?
- What can you learn from your current situation?
- How could you tweak it for the next time?
And then, at the end of each day, evaluate yourself. Did you do what you set out to do? If not, begin again tomorrow! Just keep going. Circumstances can change when you challenge them. Starting with those 3 steps above, rewrite your own formula for your best health.
And remember, you don't have to go at it alone. Learn more about our health coaches and how they can help you change your life.
