Many people pair discipline and consistency which is not even the point I want to harp on. I want to focus on if you agreed with this. If you did what makes you want these traits? I know I thought I wanted them to reach my goals. Earlier this year I spend 12 weeks on a weight loss journey with a trainer who held me accountable. It went well, I lost weight, had the highs and lows and knew it was possible. I did however know it was not sustainable.
My relationships suffered a lot, people respected my boundaries around food but the connection was still lost. No one around me cared about calories and macros and I sorta did but it was only to get healthier, and even then I noticed I was trading mental health for physical health which wasn't my goal.
I was wondering why wasn't consistency bringing the feeling I was expecting. Yeah I felt accomplished when the scale went down and my muscle mass went up but that was the only thing that brought me excitement. I dreaded playing games, I should walk to get my steps in? I know sitting for too long is bad. I hated being asked out, should I eat before? Should I save my calories for the dinner to eat what I actually want? I am not getting started on meal prep, it was exhausting having to think about food that much.
It wasn't misery but the consistency and discipline taught me what it took to do it the way others do. I thought this was the only path until I got curious, looking into other styles of healthy living and currently am working on my binge eating disorder which got really bad on week 13 and onward. I learned restriction really amps it up. I won't talk about it more than that because the point is what does consistency mean to you and what does discipline mean to you?
Not the instagram clips of ' discipline means doing it no matter your mood' or 'consistency means showing yourself self respect'. Sure this helps some people do the thing, but for me it just turned into a burden. Sometimes you just need to take the damn nap and suddenly the paperwork you're doing makes sense now. Sometimes you need a week off for the content you're creating to click. Sometimes the pain is letting you know you need to try a different method not just push yourself to burn out.
To be consistent can show up in many ways. The way you write, the way you speak, the timing you have, and so much more. It is not just showing up the exact same way every single day, we are humans. My consistency has cycles. I tend to batch write a lot of content at the start of the month rest then edit without all the voices. Taking the break allows me to live a life, and I have so much more to talk about now.
Discipline meant punishment in my life. If it was hard that means you are failing. I have gotten to the point where I see it as, pain = learning. Not in a dungeon way. More like the space of confusion when learning a new things tends to include embarrassment, stagnation, and anger in some cases. Think about the last new thing you saw, it could have started off excited like a new bookshelf you got. But oh wait now you have to read that manual (or not) and learn how to build this thing that will help you. The process has it's hang ups but you know the vision and have the tools, you just have to commit to the journey.
I view discipline as the pain of learning what works for you. Rather than grind and shine tactics.
Another update on my health journey is:
Slow gains = Slow Losses
My body likes movement with spiritual meaning, everyday I do a practice that focuses on the mental and the body, like yoga or dance.
Active Recovery is needed like yoga and stretching
Baths with epsom salt is so helpful when you are sore
Eat more protein not only for gains but for your nails
I listen to my body and focus on the classic food plate style and avoiding anything I am intolerant to
Fruits with whipped cream isn't a crime you're eating more fruit so win win? Get sugar free whip if you want to decrease your sugar
Failing is just learning what does not work
Now,I leave you with a question;
What does consistency and discipline without shame look like for you?
If you enjoyed this perspective check out my blog about reducing social media time without buying a flip phone here!
Thank you for reading things work written by Sakura at Lanternsalt systems.