Riding high on the vibration of change and newness, 2025 started out with gusto. I had the sense that this energy could be maintained and ridden for the foreseeable future. I thought about all the times I let my routine’s (sleep, journaling, exercise, etc) slip and wondered where I went wrong. Though I thought I at a stable cruising altitude something shifted, as it so often does. A week or so ago, I felt myself at the vertex of the parabola – I started peering over the edge, and the rest of me followed – I didn’t have the strength to resist.
I made the mistake of embracing it. Sleep patterns changed, habit trackers left untouched and performing on the lower end of my abilities. I was able to recognize the change but I let it fester. And, even with strategies in place – accountability, mindset and goals – to help return me to my path, I had to face the question, “how do I snap out of this?”
Short Term Relief versus Long Term Success
When we recognize resistance to a habit, it helps to identify the short and long term outcomes. Most of the time, the short term outcome is pleasure: entertainment, relief from discomfort, or instant gratification. However, focusing on the long term outcome may lead to sustained success, happiness or achievement.
Examples: Staying up late to watch an extra episode of Severance - entertaining. Not exercising - relief from discomfort. Eating boxed mac and cheese - near instant gratification.
Counter-Examples: Turning off the TV so you can go to bed on time. Exercising to keep you healthy. Making a nutritious dinner.
So, why am I more loyal to current me than future me? This is due to short term certainty – I am certain that eating this piece of cake right now will make me happy and I am not certain that not eating the cake will change the outcomes of the future.
Okay, then how will I ever learn to prioritize the long term success over short term relief? Well, it depends on how you weigh both in the scope of long term outcomes. Can you imagine times you stayed up all night watching TV, only to be tired and groggy the next day for work or school? Consider that prioritizing short term gratification has a higher probability of negative results in the long term. Not just that one is good now and the other is good later.
Identify the Slipping Point
“Where did I go wrong?” Anytime you’ve recognized you’re off track is a step in the direction of getting back on it. The choices you make now are the choices that truly represent your resilience and your underlying desires. It helps to clarify what went wrong. Some reasons we fall off the goal wagon:
Too Much Change: this leads to overwhelm, burnout and difficulty seeing progress in any one area.
Too Ambitious: this leads to disappointment when you don’t see results.
Disruption of Routine: this can feel like failure, and make it harder to start back up.
In Places We'll Go we identified our goals, then we made our Roadmap, and even identified why we may be feeling the Fatigue. Now, we might need to rest & reset.
Rest is Necessary – Listening to Your Body
My body has “tells” when I’ve sent it into overdrive: a right eye twitch comes on to let me know I am stretching myself too thin and reaching my tipping point. If I am able to recognize this sign and take a step back, I have the opportunity to maintain my progress. If I try to push through, my body will send more signs (illness or lability) that may derail me more significantly.
Your body likely has tells, too. There are plenty of powerful methods to understanding your body: long form journaling, brief notes on the notes app, or tracking on the app “How We Feel.” Each of these can help you identify variables including time of day, who you’re with, where you are and what you’re doing to help understand your emotions and your state of being. If you’re constantly feeling overwhelmed/anxious/busy do you have strategies in place to address those feelings?
We will talk about intentional rest, creating opportunities to relax, and listening to your body soon.
Snapping Out of a Downswing
My go-to method of getting back into gear is putting on my workout shoes. “If you give a mouse a cookie” may actually be science backed literature, as starting small is a habit forming foundation. Begin with manageable changes or steps, like we’ve discussed in short term & SMART goals.
Other ways to change your trajectory are to
Find Enjoyment - Choose activities you like, or find a way to make it more pleasurable to do the habit.
Habit Stacking - Put the habit with another habit you already have (something you do daily, like brushing your teeth or eating dinner.)
Set Realistic Expectations - don’t be so hard on yourself, change comes! But it doesn’t happen overnight.
Track your Progress - Find ways to visually track your habits if it helps you to see them!
While you’re on the road to betterment, know that you’re not alone if/when things get derailed. Almost as important as getting started is knowing how to respond in those cases. Your ability to adapt your strategies or goals that aren’t working is a reflection of your resilience and determination. Consider the long term outcomes of taking easy street every time – you may end up way more lost than you were when you started. Finally, have someone who you can count on that will lift you up! If you ever need someone, know that I am more than willing to help!
Connect with me at upsidedownphysio@gmail.com, on instagram, or via the comment section here!
Good Luck,
Kaylee
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