Self-Improvement Binge

I overheard a term the other day while my friend was taking an online class that stuck with me. I mean, I just could not let it go, maybe because in some way I felt a connection to it. The term: Self-Improvement Binge. The moment I heard this terminology it was an AH-HA moment. It immediately clicked within me that I have been self-improvement binging for years.

What is a self-improvement binge you might ask? Self-improvement binging is when you have those repetitive, short lived moments of wanting to make yourself better, your life better, and everything in it better. If you are a parent it is those moments that starting tomorrow, we are spending more time as a family, eating dinner together, spending more time with the kids, re-organizing the house, etcetera. As an individual it is those moments of tomorrow, I am eating healthy, working out, and cooking more. All of a sudden, it's these moments we have epiphanies that our lives in whatever way needs to be better, we need to be better, and we need to put forth the effort to make these changes now. Something has "clicked", and your mind is stimulated and ready to go.

However, the problem with these changes is that they are drastic and short lived. We live them out for a few weeks and then we are back right where we started from. Now, we find ourselves left with all the evidence from our binge stuffed in boxes, cabinets, corners, drawers. Unread self-help books, half-written in journals, protein shakes shoved in the back of the cabinet, unused exercise equipment, arts and crafts that are halfway completed. All these things just waiting for us to return on our next self-improvement binge. The problem with all of this is consistency and we let ourselves down. Well, I guess if there is anything consistent is the consistency to binge and let ourselves down.

What makes us lose the motivation to keep these going? After doing some research trying to be perfect is a common cause people lose motivation. We need to face reality, be honest with ourselves, and line up how our new changes are going to line up with our current situations. We need to have a plan when we get these jolts to be better. Trying to balance and juggle the expectations of work, school, family, and your personal life is hard enough as is, without the undue pressure of trying to make it fit with new unrealistic expectations. Simply put, it is biting off more than we can chew. According to Everyday Power, when people have taken on too many things, we tend to procrastinate in times like these causing us to be disinterested and ignoring the completion of many tasks.

Now, the question comes how do we fix this? How can we get handle on our self-improvement binges? Have a plan. I would say be realistic in what fits into your lifestyle and how far you are willing to go to make those changes fit. Make a list of what is the most important for you to change and implement the change a little at a time. Hold yourself accountable to stick to a goal even when it is hard. Have some positive reinforcement for when you complete your goal. Figure out what your distractions are and see if you can eliminate them. Have a plan for when you slip and get off track on how to get back on. Understanding that there is a possibility that you can fall off the wagon and having a plan for when and/or if you do can be highly beneficial.