I don’t know about you, but this has been a season of adjustment for me. We are still sharing working space here at home, and it’s gotten a bit testy from time to time. We’ve been having some “moments.” Here was a recent interaction between my husband and me:Me: “Can you please use your earphones?” as he sat across the room from me listening to a YouTube video. I was trying to read. It was very distracting.
Him: “It’s a big space,” he said very sarcastically. In other words, go find your own space to do your thing. I’m listening to this.
With that, I retreated to the bedroom, fuming.
This has happened multiple times since the beginning of the pandemic.
Another situation about working from home is the ready availability of snacks. Nuts and dark chocolate, in particular. If I’m feeling frustrated, bored or just restless, it’s been so easy to get up and go the pantry or kitchen for a little snack.
It can give me a little boost of satisfaction from the dopamine (the neurotransmitter that gets activated when you eat sugar or processed foods), and relieves the feeling temporarily. But then the feeling returns.
So, over the course of the past 1 ½ years, I put back on some of the weight I lost a few years ago. But, I have strategies…
Do either or both of these situations resonate with you? Maybe your relationships have gotten a little rocky (or you’ve split?) or you aren’t feeling good about your body, because of the weight you have gained.
I can relate! Luckily, I have tools to help.
The people I work with are having the same kind of challenges. We have been using some strategies that have helped turn things around.
With regard to your relationships, it may sound basic, but this really works.
Take a break from each other. For 30 minutes, an hour or an afternoon. You can use that time to cool off and rethink what happened. You have a chance to do your thing, something you enjoy (walking also works for me) or even some work.
Then revisit the conversation.
In my case, I went for a walk. Then, I used my old standby action which really works. “Turn towards vs. away.”
Instead of staying entrenched in your corner, decide to go back to your partner or family member and talk about it. When you turn towards, you are showing your commitment to work things out, no matter what.
Regarding the snacking and resulting weight gain, decide when you have the urge to indulge to set your phone to 30 minutes and wait.
Just like taking a break with your relationship. Urges come in waves.
Use the time perhaps to do something else that might be pleasurable, like read your favorite book, take a walk, drink some tea or water. Journal. Write down the thoughts you had prior to the urge.
Then get on with what you were doing. Or take another 30 minutes.
With practice, your desire to snack will wane.
Your distance and reengagement with your loved one with bear fruit.
These strategies have worked for me and they can work for you, too. I teach lots of strategies to my clients to enhance their relationships or reach their ideal weight.
Would you like a little help with these challenges where you are feeling stuck? Even if you have been struggling for a while. click here, and we’ll set up a time to chat.
You can start making radical changes so you can navigate the holidays in a whole new way.
Blessings to you and yours….
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Jane Springer is a certified Life, Wellness and Style Coach who assists women in taking care of themselves, in body, mind and spirit. She coaches women who want to lose weight, avoid diabetes, and feel great. She also helps them thrive after divorce. She also helps them to clear their closets of old clothes and outdated attitudes, so they can shine and feel confident.