How to overcome barriers to better health
We naturally and normally feel ambivalence about change—“I want this, and at the same time, that.”
(For example, wanting to eat healthier, and also wanting to have your favorite treats whenever you want without constraint.)
We also naturally and normally feel resistance towards change—“I want this, and at the same time, not.”
(For example, wanting to stop using your phone as a mindless distraction, but not wanting to deal with the anxiety you get whenever you’re left with your own thoughts.)
These contradictory emotions can seem frustrating, puzzling, or “illogical.” Yet, ambivalence and resistance are fundamental parts of the change process.
The higher the stakes of change, the more likely we are to feel a mix of strong and unexpected emotions, pushback, rebellion, angst, and other types of resistance and ambivalence.
Rather than signaling that the change is a wrong move, strong ambivalence and resistance tend to signal that this change matters to us.
In a sense, it’s good news.
It tells us we care.
Basics Barrier #1: You have ambition overload.
Maybe you’ve decided you want to be healthier. So you declare that, starting Monday, you’re going to exercise for an hour everyday and “eat clean” at every meal and sleep eight hours every night.
(Currently, you don’t have a regular exercise habit, don’t particularly like vegetables, and regularly stay up past midnight.)
Now, let’s be honest: You’re asking yourself to change a lot of stuff at once.
And the last time you created an elaborate plan for overhauling your life…
