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Why Do We Get In Our Own Way And Resist Change?

  • Jun 28, 2021
  • 3 min read

Written by: Dr. Denise L. Morrison, Executive Contributor

Executive Contributors at Brainz Magazine are handpicked and invited to contribute because of their knowledge and valuable insight within their area of expertise.

What happens when we’ve finally gathered up the courage to change our lives for the better and then something gets in our way, slows us down, or ruins our chances for success?

How does that happen to us repeatedly?

Let’s say that you’ve just decided to start on a new meal plan or workout program, and you have all this renewed enthusiasm and motivation!

We’ve all experienced the rush from that initial burst of motivation: you set out for a few days with incredible energy and success until….

There’s a conflict in your schedule. You miss out on a few hours of sleep, or someone at work/home tempts you with one of the no-no items on your meal plan!

You may find that your brain automatically finds something else that you deem way more important than your new goals. Oh noo!

Or, perhaps you want to fit in, and you forgo your self-care needs and indulge in whatever food that Aunt Sally or your hubby bought especially for you?

Have you used this one, “I’ve been good lately, so I deserve a little extra,” and you completely fall back into the old self-destructive patterns?

Before you know it, your brain quickly reverts to its old ways. Your very efficient and well-programmed habits kick right back in and then you are thinking. Nooo! I am sabotaging myself!

Like a zombie, I walked to the fridge…

I’ve seen this time and again with my clients.

They tell me that they’ve got an internal battle going on inside their mind, and the message doesn’t get to their body to take action.

When this happens, those automatic, old, unconscious, well-programmed habits are primed and send you right back to square one!

Then, you find that you are repeating those old mind tricks of:

  • Punishing yourself with negative self-talk or stories.

  • Shaming yourself.

  • Falling off track and back into the habits of binge eating, overeating, or depriving yourself.

  • Giving up completely because you feel like a failure.

  • Being so hard on yourself!

How many times have you gone through that cycle??

This Coach can’t even count on her two hands, so I know what it feels like to struggle day in and day out with my own dang self!

So, what do you do when you feel stuck in this cycle?


  1. With an attitude of loving curiosity, start by recognizing your patterns of “starting,” sabotaging, and falling off the wagon.

  2. Allow yourself to sense, feel and experience any and all of your emotions around this pattern and free-write in your journal about them, or call a friend or schedule a chat with me.

  3. Ask yourself, what are you willing to release and let go of those struggles so that you can move forwards with your new plans, goals, behaviors, and habits?

Thank yourself for taking the time to stop and listen in to your intuitive wisdom that KNOWS exactly what you need to do to succeed.


Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, or visit my website for more info!


Dr. Denise L. Morrison, Executive Contributor Brainz Magazine

Denise Morrison is the CEO of Intuitively Unique Coaching, her Holistic Brand of Health/Life Coaching.


She struggled for decades to overcome traumatic experiences from her own past. She compensated for her lack of confidence with degrees and professional success. She numbed her pain with addictive eating and self-abusive behaviors. And when she finally turned to the right teachers and coaches, she learned that change does not need to take decades. Change can actually be instantaneous. And change can be lasting. After working for many years in healthcare, Denise felt a pull and a passion for working with people on a deeper and more transformational level.


Her academic mind was drawn to the evidence-based nutrition and exercise practices, but she was also compelled by the more mystical therapies emerging from neuroscience and quantum healing.


Denise sought out the best training in health and wellness, life coaching, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming (NLP) to have access to the most powerful tools to help others change their lives for the better.

 
 

This article is published in collaboration with Brainz Magazine’s network of global experts, carefully selected to share real, valuable insights.

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