10 quick ways to get yourself a problem....

But before I begin, do not be intimidated by someone telling you that you can’t, or it isn't possible. If you want this.... you can get it.

 This applies to overeating, making poor food choices, drinking too much alcohol, taking drugs, smoking, overworking, being a perfectionist, hyper-vigilance to threat, anxiety, health anxiety, overwhelm – you name it, this applies. From now on to be known as ‘the problem’.

 1 - Get yourself into a good routine of ‘the problem’. Maybe making sure you do it at the same sort of time every day, for instance when you’ve dropped the kids off at school, when the kids are in bed or when you have closed your laptop. Or every Wednesday night as its mid-week, and Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. We all love a routine as it makes life nice and simple when things are automatic.

 2 - It does not have to be every day, so do not listen to those doubters tell you a problem is only if you do it to excess or its 7 days a week. Everyone must start somewhere.

 3 – See if you can link ‘the problem’ in with your emotions or a situation or a current habit you already have in place. So, you could try and do ‘the problem’ behaviour every time you feel sad, bored, it is a birthday, or you have worked hard today so it can be like a reward. With a bit of practice, you will find you automatically grab’ the problem’ thing when you face that situation or emotion again. It is called layering and we humans love to do it!

4 - Maybe hang out with a few people who can do ‘the problem’ better than you can. Keeping up with them is good practice. We like belonging to a ‘tribe’ so find yourself a ‘problem tribe’.

 5 - If somebody tells you that they are worried about how much you do ‘the problem’ - take no notice. They are just dull people and probably just jealous that they are not as good as you are. Just stop telling them about every time you do ‘the problem’ as they clearly do not understand.

 6 – Be able to access ‘the problem’ more easily, make sure you have enough of ‘the problem’ or time to do ‘the problem’ - do not risk running out. Make sure you have enough chocolate, alcohol, work, problems to focus on.

 7 - Do not try and reflect how much you do ‘the problem’ unless it is cause for celebration, then reflect all you like as our brains really do like a well-worn path of thoughts to follow.

 8 - Obviously, we are coming out of lockdown in the UK, so make sure that you can continue ‘the problem’ even with a new routines on the horizon, planning is everything!

 9 – Do not beat up on yourself if you slack a little, it’s completely normal to have good days and bad days when creating a new automatic ‘problem’ habit.

 10 -And remember, practice makes perfect. Do not be discouraged if you do not become a master at it immediately – it took months to learn to walk, you can make ‘the problem’ as automatic as walking if you give it enough time and practice.

 I hope you found this useful. On a serious note, if you have unwittingly created and unhealthy or destructive ‘problem’ then the opposite is true of undoing ‘the problem’.

 Using the above steps can work equally as well in creating new healthy habits that serve you.

 If you are stuck, then as a coach, I can help you overcome your ‘problem’ and help you get back on track. No judgement, no pressure, total confidence, in an easy-going environment.

So, if you would like to stop or reduce ‘the problem’ then get in touch, I’d love to help.

Nikki