Our world is forever changing and this can be seen all around us in every aspect and form.

We all have personal behaviours we wish we could change, stop, or start.

Whether you are wanting to make healthier lifestyle choices, lose weight or starting a fitness program, changing your behaviour takes time and commitment.

We are introduced to change from a very young age but somewhere along this journey we start to interpret change in our own way, based on our beliefs.

You may find yourself resisting change, because of the perceived risk or fear associated with it.

This resistance is demonstrated by some examples below:

• The smart, capable business woman who always finds herself procrastinating
• The emotional eater who keeps eating to deal with her feelings
• The overly stressed busy woman who continues to add to her plate

It’s an interesting predicament we put ourselves in. So why do we have such a hard time initiating and/or following through with our desire to change?

Why is change so uncomfortable?

Change feels uncomfortable because it requires you to be aware and to give up and sacrifice the life you have now, including your current thoughts andbeliefs, for the life you want to have.

Why we have such a difficult time following through with desired change may perhaps be better understood by looking at how our brains respond to change.

• Your brain is programmed to focus on the past and to keep you safe and your behaviour predictable.
• This predictability is your comfort and safety zone. When this predictability is gone, so too does your sense of safety.

What happens is your familiar zone, is replaced by an unknown one, and you can feel fearful and disoriented, not knowing where to turn next to find the comfort and safety you have previously had.

When something is new, you may feel uncomfortable because those very habits that you may want to change are your familiarity equilibrium zone.

It’s like taking the comfy blanket from a baby, initially there will be crying and some mourning BUT what awaits you on the other side of the mountain of change is so much shinier!

Let’s explore the 3 ways to welcome change in your life and the steps you can take to re-establish a sense of balance for yourself.

It may help you to first examine the potential obstacles that may get in the way of change and work to identify ways in which you may overcome them.

1. Acceptance.

This is a vital step in your “Change journey”.

Being aware of your thoughts and actions and accepting where you are at and how you feel is very important.

Changing behaviour can stir up anuncomfortable emotion, like a sense of loss, fear and anger.

Some of these emotions may be hiding beneath the surface of your awareness, so becoming aware of them will help you to deal with any impatience that you may have about this journey.

Here are some tips:

• Emotions are neither good nor bad, it’s what you think about them and how you act as a result of feeling this way, that determines the outcomes you get.
• Acknowledge your emotions– let yourself feel and accept that feeling this way is part of the process of change
• Create some time and give yourself space-to process your thoughts and feelings. This will enable you to be better emotionally equipped to let go of the old and welcome the new chang

2. Let go of perfection

Divide long-term change down into manageable blocks.

Almost every change brings with it a sense of loss and a nostalgic desire to return to the old behaviour.

You may miss what you are giving up and the old familiarity you felt. This can feel overwhelming and uncomfortable.

Here are some tips:

• Give yourself permission to start slow and mange one area of change at a time
• Focus on progress rather than perfection, a small change is better than no change.
• Put in your best effort, but don’t expect perfect results.
• Keep a record of your small changes and celebrate every one of them
• You may want to create a graph to show you the results you are achieving weekly

3. Divide long-term change down into manageable blocks

Taking on too many changes at once can feel overwhelming and threatening.

Decide on the ONE change that will have the most impact in your life and follow that until completion.

To help you reduce anxiety, put in your best effort, but don’t expect perfect results.

Here are some tips:

• Break this one change into doable and manageable blocks that fit in with your daily life
• Plan your actions at the start of the week
• Reflect on these at the end of the week
• Tweak and adjust as necessary
• Keep your daily focus on the immediate steps and build on this weekly
• Not all of your efforts turn out exactly as planned.
• Acknowledge this and learn and adjust as you go.

And lastly remember that you are 100% acceptable and worthy as you are, even before you make any changes.

The reason why I recommend that you embrace discomfort and welcome change in your life is to realise your true potential and to achieve your dreams.

Proving and showing yourself what you’re capable of is so empowering and exciting!

I would like to share with you some powerful questions to help you identify where you may want to create change:

• What is missing in your life right now?
• What are the 3 things that would make the biggest difference in your life?
• What do you secretly earn for?

If you could make the change that you desire so that you could FULLY live your life…

• What would that mean to you?
• How will you feel in 2 years’ time if you are living this way?

If you want to end your struggles with excess weight, stress and self-belief, using your strengths and capabilities, book a free 15-minute mini-coaching session with me and I’ll show you how to transform your life.