Life is a continuous stream of challenges. When we’re fortunate, we have the ability to choose the challenges we want to take on.
Why would we want to take on challenges?
The reason you are probably here today: to guide ourselves through the process of becoming a healthier individual. Let’s focus our attention here.
As we guide ourselves through our own Reprogramming Process, what needs to happen to make any improvements is to apply the appropriate amount of stress (For more on this, see Understanding Stress – Managing Stress Part 2)
Let me clarify that even further: the only path through which we create change in our bodies and minds is to put them under a stress. This stress may be short and small, or may lengthen in duration or intensity. The point is, we cannot make change happen unless we are willing to step outside of the comfort zone, apply a stress on the appropriate system, and make our way through the entire process without giving up.
This last part is what I want to address with this practice.
A practice for steering yourself through challenges
Here’s a general idea of how this process plays out.
As we go about our day, the body runs off its programming that has been established based on our previous life experiences. We tend to eat the same food and go about regular daily routines.
Then, when we decide that something needs to change, we engage our frontal lobes of our brains to change this programming (that is, we are aiming to reprogram ourselves with a new behavior).
Well, when we do this, the body is going to be put under a bit of a stress. Now, this is a good stress. Heck, in my opinion, it’s a wonderful stress because it is what is going to be responsible for creating beneficial change that leads to healthier behaviors.
However, when we’re in the moment – when we are working to steer our decisions down a different path than that which is in our normal programming, then it doesn’t feel good.
Rather, this moment tends to feel unpleasant – stressful. But it’s important that we get ourselves through it, because once we do, we will reap the reward of what’s on the other side, and that reward will help solidify the repetition of this new healthy behavior in the future.
So, how do we get ourselves through it?
- Feel that feeling of aversion? It’s unpleasant. Maybe even stressful.
- Pause
- Exhale
Try this:
- Inhale for a count of 2
- Pause about 1 second
- Exhale for a count of 4
- Pause
- Repeat
Try it out, and let me know what you experienced.