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Hello, I’m Elliott Reid, an Osteopath and the proud founder of the Revitalize Clinic in Gravesend. Over the years, our clinic has successfully assisted over 10,000 individuals in becoming mentally well, physically fit, and pain-free. Today, I want to delve into a powerful psychological approach known as Acceptance and Commitment Therapy (ACT) and how it can help you navigate the often-turbulent waters of temptation when it comes to making health-related decisions.
With the overwhelming number of distractions and unhealthy choices that we encounter daily, it’s vital to establish a solid foundation of self-awareness and skillful decision-making. Throughout this blog, we will explore four critical elements that can enable you to take control of your health and steer clear of temptations.
1. Realising Your Values
The first step in overcoming temptation is understanding your values. Values are the core beliefs that drive our actions and decisions—they form the guiding principles for your life. In the context of health, your values might include being physically active, enjoying nutritious food, maintaining mental wellbeing, fostering relationships, or achieving personal goals.
Identifying Your Values
To identify your values, ask yourself:
- What is truly important to me?
- What do I want my life to stand for?
- What do I want to be remembered for?
Take time to reflect on these questions, perhaps writing down your responses. You may consider discussing your findings with a personal trainer or a counsellor to help clarify your thoughts. When you’re clear about your values, they act as a compass guiding your decisions and behaviours. If you find yourself reaching for those chocolate biscuits or skipping workouts, remind yourself of the bigger picture: your values.
Aligning Your Actions with Your Values
Once you have identified your values, the next step is to align your actions with them. At the Revitalize Clinic, we encourage our clients to set meaningful goals that reflect their values. For instance, if one of your values is staying physically fit, your action might be attending a personal training session thrice a week or opting for a wholesome snack instead of junk food. By consciously aligning your actions with your core values, you create a strong foundation that helps keep temptation at bay.
2. Navigating Choice Points During Emotional Situations
Life often presents us with “choice points”—moments where we can choose between acting in alignment with our values or giving in to temptation. These moments can be particularly challenging, especially when fueled by emotional situations.
Recognising Your Choice Points
To effectively navigate these situations, you first need to recognize when a choice point arises. Emotional triggers such as stress, anxiety, or sadness can lead to decisions that go against your values.
Here’s how to approach these moments:
- Pause and Reflect: When faced with a choice point, take a moment to pause and breathe. This instant of mindfulness can help you create distance between the urge and your reaction.
- Identify Your Emotions: Acknowledge what you are feeling. Are you feeling stressed? Bored? Lonely? This awareness will help you understand the context of your decisions better.
- Evaluate Your Options: Consider the choices in front of you. What would aligning with your values look like? What are the potential consequences of each choice?
Making a Decision
After evaluating your options, think about what the best decision is in that moment. If you are feeling lonely and tempted to indulge in unhealthy habits, perhaps reaching out to a friend or therapist instead might better align with your values, fostering connection and emotional support.
3. Defusing from Temptation Through Mindfulness
In the face of temptation, it’s essential to develop skills that enable you to defuse challenging thoughts and urges. This is where mindfulness plays a crucial role.
Understanding Mindfulness
Mindfulness is paying attention to the present moment without judgment. When it comes to dealing with temptation, mindfulness can help you become aware of your cravings without allowing them to control your actions.
Here are a few techniques to help you defuse from temptation:
- Focus on Your Breath: When you experience the urge to make a poor health decision, take a moment to focus on your inhalation and exhalation. This can ground you and help clear your mind.
- Label the Urge: Rather than suppressing the temptation, acknowledge it by saying, “I am having the urge to eat that chocolate,” which can lessen its power over you.
- Visualize the Consequences: Picture yourself after having indulged in the temptation. How do you feel physically and emotionally? Often, visualisation can help clarify the reality of a moment of indulgence.
In our clinic, we practice various mindfulness techniques that empower our clients to step away from unhealthy habits and make choices that resonate with their values.
4. Becoming the Observer of Your Own Decisions
Learning to observe your thoughts and decisions without becoming entangled in them is a vital skill in overcoming temptation. This practice allows you to gain clarity and perspective, empowering you to make more intentional choices.
Practising Self-Observation
- Develop a Witness Perspective: Imagine yourself as an observer of your thoughts and feelings rather than the one in control of them. This perspective allows you to see your thoughts about food, exercise, or other temptations as mere events occurring in your mind, rather than absolutes you must act upon.
- Journaling: Consider keeping a journal where you can document the moments of decision-making. Write down your feelings, the choices at stake, and the outcome of the decisions you made. This practice fosters self-reflection and helps identify patterns in your behaviours relating to temptation.
- Use “I notice” Statements: When you feel tempted, practice saying to yourself phrases like “I notice that I am feeling tempted to snack,” or “I notice the urge to skip my workout.” This simple act of naming the feeling separates you from the temptation, creating a space for reflection and choice.
Learning to Respond, Not React
By becoming the observer, you allow yourself to respond to situations mindfully rather than being reactive—a skill that can be cultivated with practice. Instead of impulsively reaching for unhealthy snacks when you’re bored or stressed, take a moment to observe your feelings, understand the root cause, and choose a response that aligns with your values.
For instance, if you’re tempted to indulge in a snack while working from home, pause and consider: “Am I genuinely hungry, or am I eating out of boredom? How does this align with my health goals?” By taking the time to question your impulses, you become more adept at making choices that reflect your commitment to wellbeing.
Conclusion
Overcoming temptations related to health decisions is a journey that involves continual self-reflection and commitment to your values. At the Revitalize Clinic in Gravesend, our aim is to provide holistic support through osteopathy, personal training, and counselling to help you navigate this journey successfully.
By learning to identify your core values, navigate choice points effectively, defuse urges through mindfulness, and observe your thought processes, you can empower yourself to make healthier decisions that align with your life goals. It’s about becoming the CEO of your mind—owning your thoughts and choices rather than allowing them to control you.
Contact Us Today!
To take the first step towards revitalising your health, reach out to us at:
- Phone: 01474 356 284
- Email: info@revitalizeclinic.co.uk
- Book your appointment online: www.revitalizeclinic.co.uk
By prioritising your knee health with proper exercise and dietary choices, you’re not just prolonging your mobility
Thank You for Being Part of Our Community
Thank you for being part of the Revitalize Clinic community. Your health and happiness matter, and I look forward to hearing your thoughts on this blog post. Let’s continue to support each other in our journey towards optimal health—because every small choice counts!