I am stepping away from my scheduled blog post this week, due to an insight I wanted to share with you on decision making after painting my house on the weekend. What does painting have in common with weight loss and decision making you ask? More than you would think!
This weekend I got stuck in indecision choosing coloured paint which left me taking no action and feeling stressed. My past pattern would be to escape the feeling of stress by trying to feel better. How do you like to feel better? My favourite way used to be to grab a kit kat chocolate bar for that instant hit of dopamine. Thankfully, I am onto myself most of the time and I want to share how you can be too, to avoid eating to avoid the stress feeling.
We are in the middle of painting and moving into a new house. Throw the kids’ cricket matches in there and we had quite a dynamic weekend – I refuse to use the word busy, and I will share why in a blog coming up for you in a few weeks. I was not paying the same attention to my thoughts and felt the discomfort.
My husband the ‘Doer’ and I were choosing paint colours for our lounge on the weekend. We diligently went to the hardware store and chose some paint pots, splattered them on the wall, and sat and watched paint dry. My brain went through a medley of indecision. I spotted myself saying ‘I am not sure’, and second-guessing myself. Now, this is unusual for me, as I have been through a period of intentionally taking ‘I don’t know’, or ‘I am unsure’ out of my vocabulary because it doesn’t serve me or my actions or my weight when I constantly reach for the Kit Kats or sugar fix.
But this weekend I was not on my game and these unhelpful thoughts were leaving me feeling confused. Confusion is holding two or more opposing thoughts at the same time and not making a decision. This leads to decision fatigue. The kind you get when you just can’t decide what you should do just in case the decision is the wrong one. It’s like standing in front of the biscuit aisle when you are not sure which packet to get. It is tiring and wastes time. It also creates stress and anxiety.
Now if you are an emotional eater, staying in indecision can see you reaching for the cookie jar or the top shelf to escape the stress. It can lead to weight gain and sabotage your weight loss goal.
So, what should you do instead?
- Watch yourself saying I don’t know, or I am unsure.
- Don’t judge yourself for indecision. It is often a pattern that your brain is used to. It can be rewired.
- Consciously make a decision and back yourself that it is the right one and don’t look back.
Whichever decision you make, there will be positives and negatives for both – thinking that there is a right or a wrong decision is not helpful.
If you find that your indecision is causing you from taking action or leading you to that sweet or savoury bite to take away some of the stress, then get in touch with me and we can schedule a no-obligation free mini call to have a chat to see if life coaching and weight coaching is the right fit to help you free yourself from the stress of indecision, lose weight and become the best version of yourself.
Oh, and in case you are wondering, I decided on the paint, I now just need to sell it to my husband.
Have a beautiful week.
