Triggers

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In health coaching, we talk about three areas of health:  Healthy Mind, Healthy Body, and Healthy Finances.  All three of these affect each other.  The goal is to get all three balanced to have optimal health.  I'm finding that right now my healthy mind is my goal, and developing that aspect of my life is helping me in other areas. 

One of the keys to changing is to recognizing the triggers that set you off into your bad habits and old patterns of behavior.  I talk about this in my health coaching practice, and I find it's very applicable to making a personality change as well.  The most interesting thing is that the same things that trigger my bad eating habits and emotional eating also trigger my anger.  Here are some of my triggers.

Being Tired
When I get fewer than 7 hours of sleep, I feel it.  I'm tired, my body feels out of balance, and I feel a little out of control. Sleep is so regenerative, and so when I don't get that healing, my rational brain doesn't feel rested, tires easily, and succumbs to the limbic system.  I complain all day -- "I'm tired.  I need sleep.  Leave me alone." 

How do I combat this?  SLEEP!  "Early to bed, early to rise makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." There's so much truth to that statement.  As I've been getting up earlier, I've loved what that does for me, except for the days that I go to bed late, or like today, when I'm up by 3:45 because my kids were having it rough.  So, perhaps today calls for a nap.  I'm not normally a nap person, but I may very well need to sleep when my kids are today so I can get through the day on a higher note.

Being Stressed
When I have a lot on my plate, it's easy to get distracted and put the important things, aka my family, on the back burner.  I find I'm more selfish because I'm so concerned with me and my agenda that I hate to be bothered.  When I organize my time, stay busy, and spend quality time with my family, I find that I do have time for everything.  If I don't make a plan, I fail miserably.  This is when I'm short with my kids.

Being Unhealthy
Lately my health habits have been slipping.  Because they have, I find my self-worth slipping as I gain weight and feel my body reminding me that I can do better.  When this happens, I start into the self-loathing.  I feel unworthy to be a health coach or mom because I'm not setting a good example, and I don't feel good.  I feel tired and stressed (are you seeing the circle, too?). 

Today I'm a little concerned because I only got 4 1/2 hours of sleep due to my Mommy job starting earlier than anticipated today.  I have a lot on my plate right now, and I haven't been strategically planning out my days to make the most of them.  I know these triggers are ready to be lit, and so my goal is to take a nap today.  I hate napping, but I think I need one.  I will also set aside some time to work on a couple of the big projects as well as health coaching -- a timer works well. 

Today's spiritual thought comes from Alma 7: 15-16:

 15 Yea, I say unto you come and fear not, and lay aside every sin, which easily doth beset you, which doth bind you down to destruction, yea, come and go forth, and show unto your God that ye are willing to repent of your sins and enter into a covenant with him to keep his commandments, and witness it unto him this day by going into the waters of baptism.

 16 And whosoever doeth this, and keepeth the commandments of God from thenceforth, the same will remember that I say unto him, yea, he will remember that I have said unto him, he shall have eternal life, according to the testimony of the Holy Spirit, which testifieth in me.

 Today I will work on those triggers so that those sins which do so easily "beset" me will not destroy me.  Today I want the Holy Spirit with me, and so I'm going to work hard for that.

What are your triggers?  What helps you to combat them?