Dealing with Setbacks

Setbacks are a normal part of the process. And they’re actually an important part of the process.

It’s how we respond that makes all the difference in how we grow from there.

Life happens. When the weekend hits, it can become tempting to steer away from our plan and indulge. When we’re stressed, we often crave comfort food or may even lose our desire to eat or exercise completely.

Here’s how you can learn from these situations so you can prevent big setbacks later down the road.

Here’s the deal. While weekends, vacations, celebrations, etc. they’re are a good way to kick back, relax and destress, it’s important to rid yourself of the all or nothing mentality. One meal won’t ruin everything you’ve worked toward.

Find ways to fit in nutrient-dense meals and take the time to break a sweat. Use the time as an opportunity to work a little closer to your goals – making a better decision than you might have before- while still enjoying yourself. Rather completely going off the rails and (fill in the blank: eat the whole cake, drink one too many, finish off the fries, etc) be OK with a small, planned out, controlled portion.

For example. Let’s say you have a big celebration planned and are excited to indulge. Your normal drink of choice is a rum runner – made of two kinds of rum, fruity liqueur, fruity juices, grenadine- loaded with sugar. If you’re not paying attention, it’s easy to down a few of them before the night even gets started. If it’s not realistic for you not to have a drink at this event, consider switching from that sugar-bomb rum runner to a vodka seltzer with lemon or lime, and then alternate your drinks with a glass of water.

This way, you’ll still be taking a step in the right direction without feeling deprived.

The point is to be okay with enjoying yourself… without forgetting about your goals.

Read more: Top 3 Healthy Party Tips >>

Some of the hardest setbacks to deal with is through a period of injury, illness or year of quarantined stress. No one is immune from sidelining stress. But, how you respond to life stressors will make all the difference.

This doesn’t mean you have to buckle down and charge ahead more intensely. It probably means you need to recognize what’s happening and let yourself heal.

It can take a lot of digging to find ways to turn a negative situation into a positive one; at least try find a way to help others by sharing your experience.

Do what you can to nourish your body with the right kinds of foods, hydration, sleep and stress managements. LISTEN to your body.  And when the time comes that you’re ready to turn that setback into a comeback, do so carefully.

Whether it’s another weekend, you’re (finally) heading on vacation or life simply deals you a bad hand, it can get tough to stay on track with nutrition. But if you want to make a change, it’s essential to learn from your challenges so you can prevent them from happening again.

Regain control and reframe.

Dr. Greg Winch, psychologist and author of The Squeaky Wheel, says that regaining as much control over your situation as possible is necessary to help you “avoid feeling helpless and hopeless.” Once you regain control, be sure to find a moment in there that you made a positive decision (it’s in there, you just have to open your mind and look).

And then finally, remind yourself of your “why.”

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