There is an interesting article in it about how to take the first step in accepting your Diabetes, but I'm thinking it could apply to almost anything ~ for instance, a lifestyle change.
First they talk about coming to terms. Basically saying that you can not do anything until you come to terms with your diagnosis or perhaps a conversation with your Doctor when they say "Do this or die." (I hate those conversations.)
That makes sense, you have to be able to deal with what has happened to you before you can deal with it. I know that I spent a year running from it, and doing everything I could to pretend that I didn't have Diabetes and everything was fine. Yeah, that didn't work very well, all it got me was 20 lbs heavier, and feeling a lot worse. (I never claimed to be the brightest bulb in the box.)
The next part of the article was the really interesting part; it was titled "What's missing" what was interesting is that it talked about motivation and willpower, but from a totally different perspective:
"People typically think they need to find will power, self-discipline, or motivation. They get discouraged when they cant find it." says William Polonsky, Ph.D., CDE, founder of the Behavioral Diabetes Institute in San Diego. "Rather than look for motivation, look at what's in your way."
Diabetic Living ~ Fall 2010
I thought that was really an ah-ha moment! Instead of trying to psych yourself up to do something, simply look at what is in your way to keep you from doing it, and remove those obstacles! It looked so simple when I read it; it was one of those head slap moments when I wanted to say "Man! Why didn't they run this article a year ago!"
The article goes on to discuss removing barriers, such as depression and misconception. It also warned about getting stuck in the deprivation trap, another thing that gets those of us attempting to lose weight. You start to focus on what you can't eat, instead of all cool things that you GET to eat!
The last part was about "Finding what works" and making small changes. Even though you'll get all excited and want to make huge sweeping changes all at once, it is too overwhelming and you are dooming yourself to failure. Make small changes and get one thing down before you tackle another.
We have taken that approach in the last few months and our lifestyle change has actually gone rather smoothly because of that fact.
It was a wonderful article, and I haven't even gotten to the recipes yet! One of those things that you read and realize you can apply to many aspects of your life.
Think about it!
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