Weight Loss Self Sabotage: When Life is Too Busy

This post is part of the many articles to come related to shifting mindset about how and why we eat when and what we do. Weight loss sabotage comes in a lot of ways: one of those is a busy mindset. Learn if your chaotic schedule is a barrier to your goals.

Breaking the Cycle: Navigating Self-Judgment and Embracing Change

In the whirlwind of a busy life, where chaos and packed schedules become the norm, the journey towards self-care and weight loss can be a difficult one. In the beginning, when you're ready to make a change to your diet and lifestyle, you may find yourself grappling with self-judgement, creating a cycle that can feel impossible to break.

This article digs into the challenges faced by busy moms, busy dads, busy professionals, busy students: anyone who is busy and finds it hard to find the time or resources to stick to their goals.

What you may not realize is that you could be someone who is addicted to being busy and you might not even know it!

Understanding the Busy Cycle

In the relentless pace of today's world, you may find yourself wrapped up in the chaos of life, where overwhelm becomes familiar. After awhile, you may become so used to living this way that when you do have a spare moment, it is easy to fill that up with more busy work- especially tasks that make you feel more valued, maybe to others- than to focus on your own self care or goals.

So, you're ready to make a change: lose weight, work out more, eat healthier, etc.

At first, this is new and exciting and you're ready to do the thing! As time goes by, however, that novelty can wear off. That desire to prove yourself to either yourself or an accountability partner or a health coach can go down- and if not replaced by something more sustainable, more long-lasting, more meaningful- it can become harder to stick to that goal.

That risk of losing interest and the possible feelings of failure and self-judgement may be very real.

You may realize you fill your free moments, at first seen as a chance for focusing on yourself, are instead filled with other tasks- work, children, chores. You may become so used to this feeling, this way of living, this schedule that when you aren't busy it can feel like you're not doing enough, that you're lazy even. Is that really true? This lifestyle can almost be addictive when you feel the constant need to be busy.

External Motivation is Surface Level. Internal Motivation is Deep.

When you are starting your journey towards weight loss, there can be checklists such as grocery shopping or following a meal plan, that may lose their appeal as external motivators may decrease. What are some common external or extrinsic motivators?

1. Recognition and Rewards: External recognition, such as praise, awards, or promotions, can motivate individuals to excel in their roles. Professionals may strive for acknowledgment or bonuses tied to their performance.
2. Financial Incentives: Monetary rewards, salary increases, or bonuses serve as powerful motivators. Individuals may work hard to achieve financial stability or attain specific financial goals for themselves and their families.
3. Career Advancement: The prospect of career growth and upward mobility within an organization can drive professionals to perform at their best. Climbing the corporate ladder or achieving higher academic degrees can be strong motivators.
4. Competition: Some individuals thrive on competition. Whether in the workplace, academia, or personal life, the drive to outperform others can be a compelling motivator.
5. External Expectations: Meeting external expectations, such as societal norms, parental expectations, or academic requirements, can serve as a motivator. Fear of disappointing others or societal standards may push individuals to excel.
6. Deadlines: Time-bound goals and deadlines can be effective motivators. Busy individuals may find that the urgency of completing tasks within a set timeframe enhances their motivation and focus.
7. Peer Recognition: Positive feedback and acknowledgment from peers and colleagues can be motivating. Social recognition and acceptance within a group or community contribute to a sense of belonging and encouragement.
8. Job Security: The need for job security and stability can drive professionals to consistently perform well in their roles. Fear of job loss or the desire for a stable income can be potent extrinsic motivators.

Breaking the Busy Cycle

The first step is awareness and if you relate to a lot of what is written above, you might be ready to take the next steps towards breaking the cycle of busyness addiction. This mindset shift goes beyond simply making more time for yourself among the chaos- picturing a future where a less chaotic schedule is not only possible but also desirable.

Digging deeper into your personal beliefs about yourself, how you value yourself and the opinions of others, and what success looks like to you, is crucial. What emotional weight are you carrying? How is it holding you back? What experiences in your past have influenced how you think about being busy or successful?

Video: You Can Practice Self Care & Not Feel Guilty

Building a Future with Less Weight Loss Self Sabotage and Chaos

How we think affects what we eat, why we eat, even when we eat. How we think is influenced by how we feel. This is the root of emotional eating, for example.

How you feel about success and what it means to appear successful can lead to skipping meals, over indulging as a way to cope with stress or as a treat for working so hard.

Some key questions to consider are "How does it feel when you can't meet your own expectations?" and "What do you consider a reasonable expectation of yourself?"

Once you are aware of all the expectations you have placed on yourself, it is easier to see if you rule them or if they rule you.

Are you expectations in line with your goals? Your happiness?

How the Past Shapes the Future

As you reflect on your personal journey, exploring times in your past when you were in survival mode or living in a busy or chaotic life, becomes an important exercise. Understanding how you navigated through those times and being able to identify the people and resources that go your through are crucial to help you understand your ability to do that again. When you can recognize in yourself the positive changes you made before, you can draw on those experiences to create a roadmap to managing the busyness of now and in the future.

Now only can you reflect on your own abilities, you can also lean on the support systems you may have used in the past or find ones that are beneficial.

Reclaiming Self Care

In your transformative journey, you might find value in prioritizing others' needs, sometimes neglecting your well-being. It's time to create an opportunity to relearn how to break free from this cycle. Remember, engaging in inner work doesn't require perfection; it's about your willingness to explore and embrace change.

Weekly Wins & Self Trust

As you navigate this journey, creating weekly wins holds immense significance. These victories go beyond external validation; they lay down essential stepping stones for building self-trust. With each weekly win, you are not just accomplishing tasks but propelling yourself forward, nurturing a fresh perspective on self-care.

You don't have to make big changes to have big results. We discuss more of that in our new year's resolution post & podcast.

Conclusion

In your journey to break the cycle of self-judgment as a person trying to survive this busy world, a holistic approach is key. By addressing the addiction to busyness, building a future vision, exploring past experiences, and relearning self-care, you can move towards a more balanced and fulfilling life. Embracing weekly wins becomes the catalyst for transforming self-judgment into self-empowerment, paving the way for lasting change.