HABITS

When we put a Chink in the Chain, we are putting in a new ACTION to interrupt the old habitual thought / habit / belief. 

This is one of the most IMPORTANT parts of the healthy lifestyle equation, and this is where many people get stuck. 

Nothing 'fixes' itself. It's on us....first, we have to bring the unconscious to the table, bring it up and into the light of day. 

Your neurons fire in a repetitive and habitual way...these neurotransmitters are carrying thoughts and actions along well-worn pathways that are deeply rooted. 

If you want to change something, you have to make new tracks, with a CHANGED ACTION. We want to make fresh tracks and fresh healthy habits.

Here is an example:

Netflix comes on and you immediately want to indulge....it's because you've done this often, maybe for a long time, and the brain would rather just repeat a habit instead of using energy to create a new one. It’s so easy to just fall into those well-worn, unconscious and habitual tracks and go grab a snack.

At another level, there is a desire for a dopamine rush(the brain LOVES a dopamine rush) so when a bad thought or uncomfortable feeling comes up, most people are not taught to look at it at the source.

We need to get curious and investigate, learn to transcend the uncomfortable feeling into something worthwhile instead of DULLING that feeling with food.

Food

‍Especially carbs (sweets are carbs too) light up the frontal cortex of our brains, much like what happens to a junkie or a gambler. So the uncomfortable feeling you have that began when you had that fight with your hubby and the feelings of feeling ashamed, taken for granted or whatever else is coming up...perhaps your boss or your hubby or your siblings initiated that chain reaction to that feeling, with that cascade of familiar chemicals in your body that make up 'shame' or 'resentment'. Maybe that has happened so often, your body clicks into it quickly and the memory and the feeling flood your cells - it makes you reach for comfort...which often is food.

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These are habitual responses.

When we feel out of control, these habits help dull the uncomfortable and for many 'takes us away'.

It’s an unconscious habit.

To break these unconscious habits we have to face them.

It is not about choosing low cal popcorn over a chocolate bar...trading one for another keeps the same reward in place and the same action happening...hand to mouth with food in it.

Ask yourself where you go when the poop hits the fan...anger, isolation, shame...? Authentic or wounded self?

The challenge is really not about the food or the weight. It's about what lies UNDER the SURFACE.

Learning to understand this at a deeper level gives you a sense of control and choice.

This requires repetition, time, and conditioning,. In time that new habit, thought, or pattern becomes YOU.

Healthy, Empowered, Free