Stop letting discouragement derail your health: 8 Tips that work
Okay, friends, let's talk guts—both the kind churning with IBS and the kind it takes to face a challenge. If you're a regular to my blog, you know my amazing sister, Sarah Aitken (RN, MS, WHNP/FNP, MHP, NBC-HWC—yes, she's that impressive), runs a fantastic program focused on diabetes and pre-diabetes. Now, you might be thinking, "Diabetes? What's that got to do with my perpetually grumpy gut?" Well, Sarah's insights often overlap beautifully with the IBS world, and her latest article about finding courage in the face of feeling discouraged and afraid? Pure gold. Seriously, give it a read. And if you want more wisdom delivered straight to your inbox (because who doesn't love a little Monday Motivation?), sign up for her newsletter right here. Trust me, your inner (and outer) self will thank you. Want to listen instead of read? Released every Monday, Sarah’s podcast, available on Apple Podcasts and Spotify is delightfully educational and entertaining.
Republished with permission of Sarah Aitken
Discouraged. It’s an emotion I’ve been experiencing while dealing with a serious website problem for the last week.
I took a moment to really look at that word. It means lacking courage. Feeling scared.
Embarking on radical lifestyle change (for most people, eating in a way to reverse insulin resistance IS a radical change) requires courage. Will it work for me? Will I be able to stick to it? Can I design an eating plan that feels sustainable so that I can remain on it forever? I had a setback. Will I ever get back on track?
Taking a leap of faith requires courage. Getting back on track requires courage. Sticking to something in the face of adversity requires courage.
Courage means you are not allowing circumstances to get the best of you. It is making the right decisions in the face of fear. It is getting back on that horse and trying it again. It is taking risks and dealing with uncertainty. It is making “bravery” a habit.
Being courageous doesn’t mean you are not afraid. It means you are doing something even though it scares you to do it.
Here's some great news: courage can be learned and cultivated!
Here are 8 ways to overcome the feeling of “discouraged” when fear has you stuck:
Acknowledge that when you feel discouraged, it is not because you can’t do something, it’s because you are letting fear stop you from trying again. Face the feeling of fear. Sweeping it under the rug gives it power. Courage is not about eliminating fear, it’s about moving forward in spite of fear being present.
Confront the feeling and become curious about it. What is it about the present situation that is scaring you? What would happen if you felt more courageous about it? Could it be that you are protecting your ego from experiencing failure? The reality is, continuing to try in spite of setbacks and failures makes you stronger and more resilient.
Get comfortable with being uncomfortable. Dale Carnegie once said, “Do the thing you fear to do and keep on doing it...that is the quickest and surest way ever yet discovered to conquer fear.”
Make doing brave things a habit. Consciously strengthen your courage like a muscle by practicing it. In her book Fear Is Not An Option author Monica Berg recommends making a list of things that you would do if you weren’t afraid. If you made a list, what would it look like? Could you start doing some of those things now?
Fear is often a pretend worry about something that MIGHT happen, but which is not actually happening right now. What are some other outcomes that are just as likely? Give equal airtime to alternate thoughts regarding the future and stay grounded in what is happening right now.
Embrace failure! Success is much less about succeeding perfectly and much more about tolerating the failures along the way. Get curious about failure – see what you can learn from it. Build your resilience muscle!
Don’t aim for perfection. Approach the problem with a beginner’s mind. Let go of expectations of how it’s going to go and get curious about it. Stop worrying about the outcome.
See fear as an opportunity instead of a roadblock. Fear can even be a handy guide, showing you the areas of your life that need some work.
For me, just writing this article has helped me feel less discouraged about my website problem. I feel a little more courageous, and I’m glad that one silver lining is that once the problem is fixed, I will be all the more able to overcome the next challenge with less fear.
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