Start Slow, Start Small

There’s so much hype around change in the beginning of the year. It can become overwhelming seeing your feed full of people starting diets, perfect routines, refraining from activities or habits that may not serve them well, etc. I’m not saying this practice is altogether bad, but there's always a lot of the all-or-nothing attitude swirling which I don't love. It inevitably prevents growth and our abilities to adapt. It trains our minds into thinking that when something isn’t perfect, we’ve failed and therefore cannot enjoy it.

As excited as I was to dive into a new year strong and refreshed, I wrote this on the tail end of a weeklong+ bout of being sick over the new year. I too am trying to get past these same emotions you may have of feeling, “well F, I haven’t started yet and feeling kinda unmotivated”. I can’t remember the last time I was sick, not to mention this long, so trying to rest WITHOUT feeling lazy, guilty or unproductive was a struggle. And you know what, these feelings are normal - it’s part of the process.

Many of my clients get a new sense of energy in January which is amazing. I’m all for doing whatever it takes to get you started and keeps you taking little steps forward each day. Use the momentum to keep propelling you forward on your journey.

My reminder and approach is always this: start slow and start small - that’s what builds sustainable habit change. The small steps add up to big results over time. Of course, you’ll have the urge to revamp everything after the holidays. Try NOT to fall into that trap and take your time.

Use this first full week back to ‘normal’ to work on one or two small habits you want to bring into your life and use the month to hone in on making them a regular part of your routine.

The secret sauce to progress is consistency, not perfection. Give it a go and let me know if you need help sorting it all out!

Peace out to trying to change everything all at once and normalizing starting small!