#tulsablogger

Backsliding

So, recently, I’ve realized that…the overall high from “bettering” my life, is gone. This is what leads to backsliding; when you get bored of your new life before these positive habits become routine. I tend to backslide, fall away, and get lazy. Do you have troubles with this too, perchance? It’s because we’re comfortable with our old negative habits, and we are scared to really shake things up. After the initial rush you get comes and goes, you tend to feel lost, and so you go back to your old habits, ie backsliding. This has been a huge issue for me anytime I’m trying to start a new, positive habit, and work it into becoming just a second hand routine. So, how do we get past these feelings and continue down the path to self-healing?

We need to find out what our triggers are that initiate these lost feelings, first of all. Once you recognize these, we then need to seek out a positive support system. I’m incredibly grateful to have my father, and my two best friends who live in Houston. They will text me daily with inspiring messages. Today we are starting a new book together. They always keep me busy and make sure that I stay on my uphill path. Having a solid support system allows me to easily avoid tempting situations as well. Here’s the hard part: we need to sever unhealthy relationships and ties that we may have with unhealthy people. You’ll notice that they will cling onto you for dear life, but you have to put yourself first. This is YOUR life, and you have got to cut off those triggers, temptations, and people who would rather see you fall than see you succeeding. I’ve had to take drastic measures by deleting and blocking a few people from my social networking sites, deleting their numbers. Do whatever you have to do but you need to realize that you cannot heal if you surround yourself with negative entities constantly.

A friend told me last night that I have too much time on my hands, and I overthink. This is so true. Creating a healthy schedule for oneself can do wonders and can help you avoid backsliding all together. This can be a great organization exercise for you as well. Creating a schedule including times and slots for meditating, exercise, meetings, work, homework, and even relaxing will help keep your hands tied with some positive activities. It is a great way to develop a new and healthier routine. This is a learning structure and will help in making positive living a routine for you. Just remember that when scheduling for free time, it’s important to find constructive activities. Start a new hobby or go out and explore. The world is your oyster!

Finally, do not get complacent. This is such a dangerous spot to be in. Like I said, my problem was always being highly motivated after deciding to better my life and work on myself, but over time, it begins to dwindle. You just have to remember that you are doing this for yourself, and you are your greatest coach. Look yourself in the mirror daily and trust yourself and pat yourself on the back for your accomplishments, even if no one has noticed your recent strides to success. Lastly, don’t forget to reach out to your support group of friends or family if you ever do feel like this. They can do wonders.