Setbacks Happen – Here’s How You Bounce Back
You did the thing. You set a goal, you put time and effort into achieving the goal, maybe even some sweat and tears. Your brain learned your new routine and doesn’t fight you every time you decide to take action. THEN, vacation happens, illness happens, or your family has the week from you know where… and everything STOPS.
Even a week off from your routine can cause major setbacks. This is NORMAL. We are HUMAN. Read it again. Setbacks can be minor or major. You could hop back on that treadmill and pick up where you left off, but it is far more likely to have trouble reclaiming your routine. Low motivation? Yup. Low energy? Sure. Excuses? Absolutely.
So, what do you do about it? Give up? Let’s not. Instead, picking up the pieces one by one can help you get back on track. Remember when you started this routine? I bet it was challenging. This will be no different. My advice is to start with a realistic, achievable goal. Something like, walk for 10 minutes a day, prep 2 salads for lunch this week, or put the phone away 30 minutes before bedtime. Proving to your brain that you can achieve these smaller goals will help it motivate you to work toward larger achievements. This is a mental game.
Another way to manage a setback is to remind yourself WHY you decided to do the thing in the first place. Why did you decide to start exercising? Did you want more energy? Did you want to be more active with your family? There was a reason, and it was probably a good one. Re-focus on that motivation to drive you to get back on the horse.
View a setback as an opportunity for GROWTH. Setbacks can set the stage for redirection and improve your mindset. Would you do it the same way you did it before or can you make improvements? Overcoming a setback will also strengthen your resilience so that when something bigger threatens your routine, it is not as likely to throw you off. Remember, setbacks are normal, but it is up to you to make sure they are temporary. Now let’s get back to it, shall we?