From Overwhelmed to Empowered: How Coaching Can Help You Create Sustainable Habits
My schedule got a little thrown off a week ago. I was fortunate to spend 5 days with one of my favorite yoga teachers. It was such a nice treat to be able to dive into being a student. I loved every minute of it. I mainly practice by myself so it was nice to be in a room, even if it was virtual, with other people.
Being with a teacher reminded me how helpful it is to have fresh eyes looking at my practice. There are things I don't always see because I'm in them day in and day out, those deeply ingrained patterns. It was also nice to be reminded of the things I am doing well so I can acknowledge my daily work.
We can get lost in our daily routines and practices. We repeat patterns that we aren't even aware of and create habits that we may not want to have. Daily practices can create a healthy sense of routine and pattern, but they can also reinforce the things we don't want in our lives if we don't pay attention.
While I have gotten pretty good at noticing my bad habits and patterns, I'm human. 😂 So it is beneficial to get someone else's eyes on me from time to time.
It got me thinking about how coaching is helpful in a similar way. We all know what we need to do to be healthier and have the life we want, just like I know what I need to be doing in my practice. Even if you aren't entirely sure what to do you could google it and get more answers than you need. The issue isn't the information, it's usually the implementation.
It's helpful to have someone who has walked the path before us as a guide. They can share their perspective and give insights and information that only come with experience. The key is having a guide who will share information but allow you to figure out your path down the road.
Most of us have been taught not to listen to our intuition. We hear that the experts typically know more about us than we do. Sometimes that may be the case, even just in the sense that someone can see things you can't. But often we know what we need to do or the approach that will work best for us. Instead of listening to that inner wisdom, self-doubt creeps in and we second-guess ourselves.
About 13 years ago I was suffering from undiagnosed autoimmune diseases and was stressed out and exhausted. My days were packed from the minute I woke up until I collapsed into bed at the end of the day. Parker was a toddler and between work, parenting, and trying to take care of everyone and everything I was totally overwhelmed.
When I went to see my doctor she told me that I needed to take 30 minutes for myself every day so I could heal.😳
I remember thinking she was crazy. I had no clue where to find 30 minutes in my already packed day. While this may have been exactly what I needed it was entirely unhelpful for where I was in life. It just caused more stress and overwhelm trying to figure out how to implement it.
I left her office determined to figure it out. When I couldn't I felt defeated and depressed. This was definitely not the way to create sustainable habits that would actually help me feel better.
This scenario is the opposite of what happens with coaching. There is no way I can know you better than you know yourself. Instead of me deciding what's right for you, we talk about what you think would work best. You know what has helped you to be successful in the past and what aligns with your life and your values.
Most of us just need to be reminded of these things and have a little help figuring out the steps to get there. We can get lost in the past and all the times we weren't successful. Sometimes all it takes to find success is to have fresh eyes to help us find a more optimistic outlook and a clear path forward.