When we try to make a positive lifestyle change there could be several pitfalls we encounter; the deadliest being negative triggers!
Imagine you were working on reducing your sugar and alcohol intake and ate healthier for a whole week, and then you had a bad argument with a loved one and found yourself mindlessly gobbling up a chocolate cupcake or reaching for a chilled beer. That’s you reacting to the negative trigger (argument) that led to unhealthy thoughts (I don’t care about anything) and subsequent action (eating cup cake and drinking beer) without thinking of the consequence (adding more sugar and alcohol to your diet).
There are several types of negative triggers all around you, so the first thing to do is to recognize them.
Are they within you? Examples include feeling low, deprived or demotivated and not believing that a change is possible. These could also be outside in your environment such as a disagreement with your sibling, a colleague undermining your work, the scale not budging after a week of exercise, a spouse bringing up a past peeve inadvertently, your holiday flight getting delayed then cancelled, the list is endless. These could be negative triggers for some but not for others depending on how resilient or sensitive you are. But everyone is susceptible to negative triggers so first of all, watch out for them.
Next is to develop your own unique strategy to deal with such triggers.
What will change your thoughts in response to the negative trigger? Changing the topic, leaving the scene, playing some music, counting to 10? Try a few and see what works best for you. One tried and tested way to deal with negative triggers that may authors have written about is becoming mindful. Be in the moment and observe what is happening in your mind, in your body. Then think of what thoughts went through your head and what action you are about to take. Experts recommend pausing before the action stage and thinking about the consequence – will it be detrimental to your positive change? Use your willpower. Don’t let the negative trigger get the better of you. Stay your ground and get back to realizing that it’s just a trigger, let it pass and continue to do what you want – the actions that support your positive change.
Another way is to build your confidence and motivation.
When making a positive lifestyle change repeat the positive behaviour, whatever it may be – eating fibre, sleeping 7 hours, lifting weights or meditation, until it becomes a habit. Then you will be more confident of doing it and will see results such as weight loss, more muscle or a relaxed mind that will increase your motivation to stick with it. Once you are super confident of making a positive change and all charged up, negative triggers are unlikely to come in the way of you achieving your goals.
