Why Do We Keep Doing This To Ourselves?

I interrupt this regularly scheduled program to share this important message. 

I have a new home on the world wide web!  It’s www.coachmichael.fit.  Here you can read past editions of this newsletter or checkout what private bariatric health coaching can do for you or better yet join the all-new “Coach Michael’s Inner Circle”!  Checkout www.coachmichael.fit

We now return you to your regularly scheduled program.

Have you ever thought this...late at night...on the couch...maybe Cheeto dust fingers were involved?

“Just one more episode!”

Consider this.  You know sleep is important.

You truly believe that.

And you really want to go to bed on time.

Yet you stay up late anyway---and feel exhausted in the morning and full of regret.

Then, the exact same thing happens the next night.

and the next

When you look at it that way, it seems completely illogical.  I mean, you’re doing the opposite of what you say you want to do (and what you know is good for you).

But in reality?

It makes perfect sense.

The real reason (and is just human behavior)---it’s an attempt to solve a problem.

In this case, of staying up too late to watch one more episode, it may be a form of “revenge bedtime procrastination.”

This happens when you delay going to sleep because you’re stressed or don’t have much free time earlier in the day.

Staying up too late to do what you want gives you a sense of control that you don’t feel during your work or family life.

As a result, you don’t go to bed on time.  Even though you know sleep is important, and you’re literally tired of missing out on it.

Here’s the good news:

Looking at “illogical” and “unhelpful” behaviors this way can explain why you do what you do.  Here’s a few examples that might feel familiar:  

• having four glasses of wine (when you planned on having one)
• canceling your workout at the last minute even though you had the time scheduled in your calendar
• eating an entire pint of Ben & Jerry’s right before bed even though you weren’t really hungry
• okay michael, you can stop now

Self sabotage, anyone?

If you can relate to that---and are frustrated by it---here’s what you do.  Ask:

What problem is this behavior trying to solve?

Once you know that, it won’t be such a mystery anymore.  Once the mystery has a little light put on it...well, it’s not so mysterious anymore.  And now you have more information to start the work to solve it in a more helpful way.

I help people who had bariatric surgery understand their behaviors and how it might be hurting them and then help them see that there’s actually a lot of stuff to celebrate.  My private coaching roster has room for you.  Book a call here.  Or join “Coach Michael’s Inner Circle” where you get the support of me and a community of other people who had bariatric surgery. All the details live here.

The Best Is Yet To Come!

-Coach Michael

PS-  find me at www.coachmichael.fit

PSS-  Today is the first full-day of fall yall!  Here’s a yum-diddly-uptous pumpkin spice smoothie for ya!