Delay, Don’t Deny

Welcome to May, the month of lilacs, celebrating mom, and getting out the summer wardrobe.

If the mention of summer wardrobe makes you break out in a sweat, relax. We’ve got this!

I have a simple solution to help you gain confidence and improve your self-control for what you may think of as “willpower.”

A recent study on stress in America found that West Coasters report using meditation and yoga more to manage their stress. Easterners tend to drink more alcohol.  

Midwesterners, who report lower stress levels, (YAH!), are more likely to turn to family and friends than other regions.

We are also more likely to state a lack of “willpower” and confidence as factors that prevent healthy behaviors.

Here’s a trick to improve your self-control: DELAY. DON’T DENY.

Example: Let’s say you’re relaxing after dinner and your mind begins to dwell on the chocolate cake (or whatever tends to distract you) that you know is in the kitchen.

You’re trying to read and you keep hearing the little voice in your head that is shouting about the cake. You know darn well that if you go in the kitchen, it won’t be to visit the vegetable bin.

YOU FEEL CONTROLLED BY THE CHOCOLATE CAKE.

This is when you delay eating the cake. Much of the time, if we think we are hungry, we are really thirsty. BEFORE you eat the cake, pour a big glass of water and go back to what you were doing and drink it.

You can always go back and eat the AMAZING cake. The piece may be smaller than it would have been. Or, you may decide to enjoy that piece of cake tomorrow when you are not about to go to bed.

Self-control is a learned skill that improves over time. If you don’t notice much change at first, keep practicing. You will master this!    

I use this technique often in the grocery when I stumble across an item that is not the most nutritionally sound, say, dark chocolate salted caramels.

I know that if the caramels come home, I’m going to eat them. That’s when I hit the DELAY button and move on, knowing that I can always come back and put them in the cart later.

Guess what? I typically forget about them. SUCCESS!

Do I feel denied? Not at all. I feel more control in a world where we really have very little. 

Use this trick anytime you know that you will be less stressed by delaying your action.

If you’d like to learn more about living a life of abundance, while still accomplishing your health and weight goals, email me TODAY. (Don’t delay on this, since you’ll feel more stress later when you try on those summer clothes.)

Cheers,
Carol

“Self-control is one mark of a mature person; it applies to control of language, physical treatment of others, and the appetites of the body.”–Joseph B. Wirthlin