E145: Reset Your Healthy Habits

When life comes at you like a ton of bricks to the chest, reset your Healthy Habits. Here’s how to do it with compassion…

[1:32] Welcome back to the Women’s Empowerment Podcast, I’m your host Valerie LaVigne. I have to be honest and share that my energy isn’t as excitable and upbeat as it usually is while recording my podcast episodes. So if this is your first time listening to the show, please know that the tone is generally more positive and a little livelier.

As always, I do my best, and some days that means showing up even if it’s not glitter and gold, it’s me and it’s authentic.

If you never miss an episode you might notice that this particular episode is coming out one week late. Yep. Last week was the first week I hadn’t published an episode since starting this podcast a few years ago.

I had a lot of guilt, shame, worry, frustration around this and eventually I let it go. I was able to surrender to the fact that an episode wasn’t coming out because my mental and emotional health needed my attention more than my weekly podcast did.

Yes my friends, your Healthy Habit coach has been having a really hard time coping with life lately and even though I practice daily intention setting, gratitude, mindfulness, and physical wellness - the weight I am carrying on my shoulders feels a lot heavier than what I can currently handle.

Why am I telling you this?

A few reasons actually. Firstly, life is fucking hard. Owning a business is also really fucking hard. And right now both of those things are weighing very heavy on me. So heavy that I’ve come to the realization that I need a reset.

In the past several weeks I have hit tipping point, after breaking point, after burnout, and so on. And last week I finally said, “I’m done.” My body is done. My mind is done. My heart is breaking and I need to stop before it’s too late. And it already feels a little too late.

So that’s the bad news. BUT as always, I do find the positive in everything so here’s the good news:

I’m not alone in the way that I’ve been feeling. I’ve had quite a few conversations within my instagram community over @vallavignelife and we’ve been chatting about a collective low energetic vibration as well as how not a lot of people are sharing the hard part of running businesses. Which is also why I am sharing this with you.

They told us not to judge books by their covers, well don’t judge businesses by their social media accounts either!

Not only am I not alone in this, but I also have an extended toolkit with the power to help myself and others elevate their vibration and their habits.

Which is why today, I’m teaching you how to build a strategy and take ACTION to reset your habits and get back on track and feel better in your body.

If you’re feeling anything like I am, this episode is for you dear one.

[6:33] Before we begin, I encourage you to take an entire day off in your calendar to really hit reset. If you can take multiple days off in a row, do that. It doesn’t mean you have to go away for those days, but actually take a proper day off work/life.

I’ll use myself as an example as I blocked off Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday off in my calendar. Here’s how it looked:

Friday I worked from 9:30am - 12:30pm with a 60 minute break for exercise in between that 3 hour work sprint. I spent the better part of the day cooking new food which I love, and eating with my family and catching up with each other.

Saturday, my partner Craig and I often sleep in (relative for us) and head to the farmer’s market. This time we bought so much fresh produce and flowers. Supporting local businesses and farms, spending time outside, and fresh cut flowers make me very happy and fill my cup. After breakfast we explored a new hiking path together and ended up at this beautiful river and spent time enjoying the sun and the peaceful sounds of the forest. Later we played board games and swam, and relaxed again at home.

On Sunday I went grocery shopping for any other food we need (that we didn’t already get from the market) for the week - this is something I do every week and technically it’s a chore), but it didn’t feel like one because it’s more of a ritual for me as I enjoy this alone time and choosing healthy foods to incorporate into our meals for the week ahead.

I also did 30 minutes of emails and some podcast work Sunday.

Self care elevates our mood, increases energy, boosts immunity and makes life a lot easier to handle. So does balance and rest.

I’m going into detail with this because I want you to see how taking time off can be making time to do something different, or it can be making time to do NOTHING. We didn’t schedule anything in. If you know that specific tasks NEED your attention and NEED to get done, then allow 30-120 minutes per day to get those tasks done. Delegate the rest.

[10:17] Speaking of “rest,” take some. The weekend I took off I went to bed relatively early and I didn’t set any alarms to wake up. Believe it or not I woke up a bit early but I felt SO rested when I woke up because I wasn’t waking up with an alarm. I really prioritized rest, and the only goals I set for myself were to stick to work boundaries and to sleep as much as my body needed to.

Your body heals when you are sleeping. Take time to rest, recharge… and now… we can RESET!

I always aim to make the content on the podcast as tangible as possible, so here is how we reset our habits when we break it down into steps.

[11:25] Step One: Rest & Recharge with Compassion

We’re all doing our best, so take a moment to breathe and give yourself some grace. It’s okay, we’re going to be okay.

If you can’t take a full day off, make a point of scheduling in some downtime into your calendar. Time-block your self-care, even if you can manage 1 hour a day. (P.s. 1 hour is 4% of your day, you can definitely manage that). Once you’ve put it in your calendar DO NOT MOVE IT. You have to take time to rest. No excuses.

[12:10] Step Two: Come back to Your Core Values

In episode 111 of the podcast we talked about creating habits based on core values. What were the core values you outlined in this episode? There are countless resources for understanding your core values, but they really come into play with a lot of the components of my Coaching practice as well as in many episodes of this show.

Core Values are our fundamental beliefs and guiding principles. Everyone will have a different list of core values, and everyone’s core values will mean something different to them.

One of my core values is ADVENTURE. To me this means worldly travel, but it also means trying new things, getting out of my comfort zone, meeting new people, experiencing different cultures and traditions, exploring nature, and more!

CREATIVITY is another core value of mine. To me this means doing things differently. It also represents innovation and expansion; turning something old into something new; seeing different viewpoints; experimenting.

Write out each of your core values, and include a definition or personal meaning for each of them. Once you have your list, you’ll be able to move to the next step.

[13:36] Step Three: Start Where You Are

Take stock of your current habits (both good and bad habits), and make note of the ones you want to change (eliminating bad habits), and/or perhaps you want to improve (make good habits better).

[13:57] Step Four: Reset by Replacing Old Habits with New Habits

If you’re not already writing out your Core Values in a notebook or on a piece of paper, then get it out now. I’d like you to make a three column chart.

Column One: write “Old Habit”, in Column Two: write “Core Values”, and in the Third Column: write “New Habit”

Here are my examples:

#1 My current bad habit is that I’ve been procrastinating on my daily walks because they’re a bit boring and I’m so exhausted that I’d rather lay on the couch with my legs up the wall.

Core Value: Adventure

New Habit: instead of a daily walk, I schedule a weekly hike. As we head into the autumn season it will be so beautiful to watch how the leaves change colours and explore some new trails.

#2 Another bad habit I have is eating chocolate late in the evening/snacking before bed.

Core Value: Creativity

New Habit: replace late night snacking with a different indulgence like a warm cup of tea, or a relaxing bubble bath and a good book. Opt for self-care like a gua sha face massage or a cooling sheet mask.

[15:14] Here are some extra tips I wanted to share with you when it comes to resetting your habits.

TIP #1: If you aren’t sure where to start, focus on foundational habits like food/nutrition, rest/sleep, and mindset. Sometimes the best resets come from when we reboot our foundational habits, TRUST ME: a good sleep goes a long way!

TIP #2: Make the new habits teeny-tiny! This will make them easier to achieve and will help rebuild your motivation and confidence. You can scale your habits little by little and watch the exponential progress toward your goal. Remember that a tiny step forward is still a step forward.

TIP #3: If you’re really stuck on eliminating bad habits, relisten to episode 138: Eliminating Bad Habits

TIP #4: Always begin with compassion. Step one of the reset doesn’t just apply here, it applies along the way. We all know that it takes time to build, and rebuild our habits - especially if your bad habits have become very automated since it’s easier for us to lose sight of our healthier habits. Do your best, and if you miss a day, reset the next day.

TIP #5: Remember the Core Value behind your healthy habit. This is your “why power” for doing what you do. When your habit is value-driven, it’s more satisfying and you are more likely to do it.

TIP #6: Plan for challenging situations and obstacles. Don’t play like you aren’t going to come up against some sort of pushback. We are our own worst enemies. What could go wrong? No really… ask yourself, what could go wrong AND how will I avoid or overcome this?

TIP #7: Stack habits. This means adding a small habit to something you’re already doing each day. For example, take your vitamins when you eat breakfast. Drink 500ml of water before you have a cup of coffee.

TIP #8: Track habits. Whether it’s your bullet journal, an app on your phone, a sticker in your notebook, or checking off a date in your calendar, figure out a way to keep track of your success with your habit.

Hold me accountable for my new healthy habits, and I’ll hold you accountable for yours over on instagram, find me @vallavignelife !

If you are having a hard time coping right now, please reach out to me. I would love to connect with you more and hold space for what you are going through. I know the pain and the pressure and I know how hard times can be.

You are loved, you are here for a reason, you have a purpose on this planet. Focus on the small, seemingly insignificant habits that you do daily, and I guarantee your life will change. There is power in baby steps and tiny actions. Start today!

Podcast Host

Valerie LaVigne

Valerie is the creator and founder of Valerie LaVigne Life and the Women's Empowerment Show. She helps busy and empowered women create healthy habits so that they can become the best version of themselves and transform their lives. Learn more about Valerie here!