How long does it take to feel good (Part 3: Problems and Solutions)

If you haven’t read Part two of this blog series, click here to check it out!

Feeling good again (or for the first time) involves two components:

The feeling part (ie how your body feels, moves, cooperates, functions), and the believing part.

Our beliefs about everything are reflected in our lives. If I believe that I’m destined to always be a blobby potato, I’m less likely to work hard enough to change it. On the other hand, if I believe that I can be strong, fit, and happy with myself, I’ll likely keep pushing until that happens.

A belief is a thought you keep thinking. – Abraham Hicks

Identifying Beliefs

A mistake I’ve made in the past is not searching out and identifying beliefs. They somehow float under the radar of my consciousness, simmering in a soup of self-doubt but never really coming out so I can see them. This time, I’m changing that. I want to out my limits, throw paint on them so I can see what I’m up against. None of this subconscious self-sabotage bs. Nope nope nope.

And so I’m getting coached.

This coaching is different than being trained in the gym. This coaching is small sessions to observe my own mind, uncover hidden obstacles, and work through them.

It’s surprisingly effective, especially for me, a self-proclaimed do-it-yourself-er.

Coaching feels a little like kindergarten: the asking of obvious questions, the repetition of thoughts and feelings, and the satisfaction of having learned important lessons like sharing (mind, please share your thoughts with the class).

Week 1 Coaching

I remembered enough about starting over to wear high-waisted leggings. This was an important step toward winning, because if I hadn’t done so, I would have spent my entire first workout being distracted by my jiggling thighs and stomach.

Week one in coaching was all about tackling the ‘shoulds’ and telling my head to shut up.

“I shouldn’t have stopped working out.”

“I should have been strong enough to persist through the shutdowns.”

“I shouldn’t be this out of shape.”

I wrote down all of my shoulds and looked at them. Coach pointed out that I was being pretty hard on myself; would I be that hard on someone else? (Of course I wouldn’t). I found I was surprised at my thoughts, and how harsh I was inclined to be toward myself.

I decided two things on week one: to have a little compassion for myself and thus drop all the ‘shoulds’, and to observe my thoughts rather than answer them. On the multiple occasions that my brain rose up to defy me, I would say, “Thanks, brain, your opinion is noted. Now step aside, I have work to do.”

“Thanks, brain, your opinion is noted. Now step aside, I have work to do.”

Getting coached this week made the process much more positive. I feel more in control of the outcomes. I feel confident that I’m on the right track.

Let’s see what challenges Week 2 bring (because the answer to ‘How long does it take to feel good’ is NOT 1 week 😆).

Stay tuned.

Subscribe to join me on the blog next week as I go through week two and highlight all of my obstacles and how I solved them.