Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Health – Part 2

This is continued from the previous blog.

#6. You think the glass is half empty. Do you allow negative self-talk to sabotage your healthy behaviors? Degenerative language can keep you in a negative space about your progress and achievements. When it comes to working out, California-based personal trainer Jenny Schatzle says you may have thoughts like, “I should have run faster” or “The person next to me looks better” or “I still have much more weight to lose.” Negative thoughts demotivate people from moving forward towards health that is more positive. “It doesn’t matter how fast or slow you go, you’re still lapping the person sitting on the couch. Be present and proud that you’re doing it at all.”

#7. You don’t think you’re good enough. Low self-esteem can instill a sense of feeling unworthy, that you don’t really deserve the benefits you’ve worked for diligently. This can prevent you from trying your hardest because if you hold a little something back, you can always say, “Well, I could have succeeded, but it cost too much or I had other priorities.” While this can help you save face, recognize that it’s not a genuine effort.

#8. You succumb to your self-destructive habits. Most of us have at least one. It might be tobacco, alcohol, or even ice cream. Whatever the habit, realize that habits are resistant to change. It takes perseverance, discipline and a good plan.

#9. You stop when you start seeing results. Many people can set goals and begin to see some progress as they work towards them. But don’t think you’ve made it just because you’re losing weight or building muscle tone. You need to maintain the discipline and keep it going. The Transtheoretical Model of behavior change says to really develop a long-lasting behavior, you need to maintain it for at least 6 months. Some people start seeing results and begin slowing down, stopping the very behavior that got them there in the first place.

#10. You expect the “old you” will reappear. In a bizarre twist, expecting the worst is a form of self-preservation. Even though we might be succeeding fabulously on our new workout or weight loss plan, because we are creatures of comfort, it’s somehow easier if we revert to our old selves. It’s like an old comfortable shoe.

I have been guilty of some of these, but I am not proud of letting these happen. I do see many other people with diabetes that continue to use many of these to sabotage their diabetes management. The sad thing is that they don't even realize they are sabotaging their management. I would like to say that we are all human, but that would be a cop out.

Stop Self-Sabotaging Your Health – Part 1

Have you stopped doing what you know is the right thing to do? Have you fallen off the wagon and can't get back on track? What causes us to do these things? I have previously written about self-sabotage of maintaining our good diabetes habits and it may be time to cover this topic again. I have received several emails lately that lead me to this, even though I have answered the emails.

In my previous blog, I covered only four points, but this time I will expand to 10 points.

#1. You’re stuck on auto-pilot. Despite the best of intentions, it’s hard to break out of that comfortable routine to which we’ve become accustomed. Get home from work, eat dinner and slide right into that easy chair. We have become a product of our own conditioning.

#2. You blame your responsibilities. One of the more common ways we sabotage ourselves is by not taking responsibility for our own lives. The reasoning goes something like this. “I don’t have time for exercise because I have to take care of my children/spouse/elderly parent/grandchild.” We all have responsibilities and it’s easy to subconsciously use them as excuses not to go after our dreams, because if we do, we may fail. Remember, doing something is better than doing nothing.

#3. You procrastinate. Another common form of self-sabotage is putting things off. A popular tactic of perfectionists. “Perfectionism leads to procrastination which leads to paralysis,” says Paul Coleman, author of the book, “Finding Peace When Your Heart is in Pieces.” It’s easy to be caught up in minutia and lose time. You can also over think things and spend all your time planning and none of it doing. Please realize it’s better to be done than perfect.

#4. You set unrealistic goals. Sure, it would make a huge difference if you worked out 2 hours a day. But, that’s not likely to happen. So why set a goal that is impossible to achieve? Then you waste time and energy dealing with the guilt that follows. Instead of setting lofty, unrealistic goals, be honest with yourself and come up with a plan you can adhere to and accomplish.

#5. Your friends and family undermine your lifestyle. Who in your social circle seems to get you regularly off the healthy track? You want to eat healthy but your friend talks you into going for pizza. While all relationships are unique, it’s worth examining how you feel after spending time with people. Are you getting an equal share of the relationship? If not, is it because you’re allowing your needs to become subservient to theirs? Perhaps you need to let it be known that you’re on a quest for a healthy lifestyle and ask them if they want to come along for the ride. You might just be surprised by their answer.

I will give the last five points in the next blog.

Stop Your Diabetes Self-Sabotage

This must be human nature or it wouldn't happen with such regularity. We all know what to do and do it right, but this self-defeating, self-sabotaging behavior wouldn't happen or happen so often. It’s important to recognize the early signs of self-sabotage: procrastination, self-defeating behavior, fear, and perfectionism. If you do, you can pick yourself up and put yourself on the right behavior before doing any damage, right?

Yet, about once a week, I do receive an email from someone that is in denial, has allowed themselves a holiday, and are having problems getting back on the correct management path.

Procrastination This bad behavior seems to rear its ugly head quite frequently, even for me. I catch myself wanting to put something off for another day or two when I know better. No, this does not happen with my medications, but mainly with poor eating habits.

Mine happens after days I want to treat myself for something that has been going great, but the treat is still there and I want to have it the second day and a few more days. I have eliminated the cake that I make myself from scratch, but when rhubarb is in season, I have a crustless rhubarb pie that I have loved over the years and I love the taste. I have tried making it with stevia and other sweeteners, but the taste is not the same as using sugar. Watermelon is the other treat and I am not talking the tasteless seed free variety.

Self-Defeating Behaviors If you are feeling overwhelmed by the challenges of your battles with diabetes, you may find yourself overeating or skipping you exercise. Many of us encounter mild depression and burnout from our daily diabetes duties. This is when we can fall to unhealthy behaviors and sabotaging good diabetes management.

When this happens, we need to force ourselves to make healthier choices. Since I don't drink coffee, I have no temptations there. I love my water and diet caffeine free coke, but there are times that regular coke would taste good. I don't keep that around just to eliminate that temptation.

That is why it is necessary to purchase watermelon halves instead of a full watermelon. This is one time that I do love eating and I have to be very careful and keep the quantity within reason. And with good watermelon, the temptation is there.

Fear Don't let nagging doubts build as they create more serious health problems if these doubts go unrecognized, they can get in the way of action. When we start to consistently doubt ourselves, this is not a good thing. We need to acknowledge our fears and how they hold us back from acting in a positive manner.

This is a good time for us to reach out to people we know will be supportive. A simple text, email, or phone call can distract us from our negative feelings. The person can be a member of a support group – this helps me and we all support each other. We know they will be there for us when we need the positive support.

Another tactic is positive self-talk. At the end of the day (or in a particularly bad moment) remind yourself of recent accomplishments -- then give yourself a pat on the back. All you need is to remove your focus long enough for your fear to fade.

Perfectionism This is my worst enemy and I do get very frustrated when I don't achieve my goals as fast as I want. According to the article, this can contribute very easily to self-sabotaging behaviors.

A team of experts at Joslin Diabetes Center claim the best strategy is to have long-term goals so realistic that failure is erased. Biting off bigger goals that are difficult to achieve is not realistic. Practicing patience is better than setting unachievable goals. Working with your health care team setting out small, attainable goals is desirable. After success with one goal, move to the next. This method leads to building one success on top of another.

Now for the positive side. This is not an easy task, but in general, it has served me in most situations and definitely has reduced the self-sabotage for me. This is developing a positive attitude and practicing this on a daily basis. This does not mean that there is no place for anger if it is directed properly and then when the anger is over, get back into the positive.