Owner’s Manual
Have you ever got a new gadget that was so complicated that you definitely needed the instructions and/or owner's manual?
That's sometimes how I feel about my body. One minute it's unstoppable, pain-free, and resilient. The next minute, I'm learning about a new allergy or discovering that the older I get, the less I can tolerate one cocktail.
Often with my clients, we capture insights like the ones above and note them in their owner's manual. Insights around what is and isn't working in their health journey, self-care needs for re-setting, values, and most definitely activities that bring them joy.
If someone read bits of my manual, it would include:
Handle with (self) care.
Works best on 8 hours of sleep.
Do not feed eggs, gluten, dairy (insert all my EoE allergies)
If she feels down, let her vent, cry, and dump it all out, then turn up the music and get her dancing.
Our manuals are constantly changing as we find evidence for what needs to be altered to help us grow and thrive.
For example, just the other day after dinner, I made pan popped popcorn for dessert. This is one of my favorite treats. I started with 1/4 cup of kernels, popped them, poured the popcorn into a bowl, and sprinkled chocolate chips on it. Holy salty and sweet yumminess! I dove in, and about 1/2 way through the bowl, I was full.
What do we do when eating something super delicious?
I don't know about you, but it's tough for me to stop.
Over-eating to the point of discomfort is something I have struggled with in the past. I even had an ex-boyfriend say, "You aren't a trash compactor." Oof. Noted.
So at that moment, I noted how I felt and put a sticky note on the popcorn box that said, "Pop 1/8 cup for a single Cole serving." The next time I made a bowl, I wasn't tempted to over-eat because I made the appropriate amount—owner's manual updated.
Here is another example.
A client had a plan of 30 minutes of movement in the morning but continued to hit the snooze button. She knew her "lazy mornings" were from lack of sleep, so she set a 10 pm bedtime. We coached around how that would become a reality. She wanted to experiment with not having her phone in her room at night, which distracted her from sleep and filled a void of loneliness. We brainstormed what she could replace the phone with that would beneficially serve her needs. There were many ideas, and after a few trials, she was successful!
Her updated manual read:
Best not to have electronics in the bedroom for quality sleep.
To feel connected at night, read memoirs or write a journal entry.
Bedtime is 10 pm to have energy for a morning workout.
This is an example of coaching in a nutshell.
You want change or to navigate something new. Together, we examine (and challenge) your thoughts, gain and practice new ideas, get support, have 'a-ha' moments, feel accountable, build clarity and confidence, update your manual, and rinse and repeat with new visions.
INSIGHTS
If you are stuck on island A, trying to get to island B, and continue to run into obstacles, I invite you to create awareness around what is and isn't working.
Ask yourself:
How does your owner's manual currently read?
How might you start noticing what needs to change in your manual to get the results you seek?
Who or what might support these changes?
P.S. Please don't hesitate to reach out with any questions. You can do that here. I am always happy to connect.
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