{"id":2671,"date":"2023-05-05T10:35:46","date_gmt":"2023-05-05T10:35:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/?p=2671"},"modified":"2024-09-02T23:17:27","modified_gmt":"2024-09-02T23:17:27","slug":"working-with-your-healthy-rebel","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/anitasanz.com\/wp-dev\/working-with-your-healthy-rebel\/","title":{"rendered":"Working With Your \u201cHealthy Rebel\u201d"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
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Have you ever decided you were going to make a change in how you eat or how active you are and you make a plan and set your goals and\u2026 you don\u2019t follow through with it? If the answer is yes\u2026 it means you\u2019re human.  But wouldn\u2019t you like to be able to stick with something for once?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I Don\u2019t Want To\u2026<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If we\u2019re going to be really honest, (let\u2019s!) how many of us would rather eat a salad of healthy greens over fast food? The plain truth is that when you are trying to make a healthy change in your life, even if you want to<\/strong>, and even if you know it\u2019s going to either be good for you or feel good eventually, change and doing things differently doesn\u2019t feel good at first.  You will absolutely resist it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u2026And You Can\u2019t Make Me!<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

The idea that you have to do something that you don\u2019t want to do or don\u2019t like harkens back to the time you were a toddler and trying out the sentence \u201cNo!\u201d  This is the birth of the \u201chealthy rebel\u201d inside of you, that doesn\u2019t want to be controlled by anyone and wants to \u201cdo it myself!\u201d  So even if you<\/strong> want to eat healthier or start an exercise program, the healthy rebel in you will detect discomfort and discipline and say \u201cYou can\u2019t make me!\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You Need a Good Guard Dog<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It\u2019s good to have a healthy rebel inside each of us, protecting us from ever being told what to do by others. The healthy rebel is like a guard dog, keeping out those who would seek to control us and make us conform to their will. But when we<\/strong> are the one who wants to make the healthy change, the rebel can start acting like a guard dog who indiscriminately keeps out friends and family, in addition to dangerous strangers. There is no good judgment used.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Your guard dog is no longer protecting you. Your guard dog is now the one causing you harm.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Get Your Dog Under Control<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

If your dog was biting all your friends who came to your front door, and you couldn\u2019t get him under control, you wouldn\u2019t have many friends coming around anymore, at the very least. If you don\u2019t get your healthy rebel to step aside so you can follow a food plan or exercise plan without thinking you\u2019re being controlled or punished, then you won\u2019t be able to make positive changes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI Got This!\u201d<\/h5>\n\n\n\n

What do you do? Tell your healthy rebel that you appreciate its efforts to protect you from feeling controlled, but that you<\/strong> are actually the one who wants to follow this new regimen to see if it helps you\u2026 not some mean outsider trying to harm you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Tell your healthy rebel \u201cI got this. I\u2019ll let you know if I need your help.\u201d That level of confidence might just allow your healthy rebel to relax and sit back while you<\/strong> make some healthy change!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Dr<\/em>.\u00a0Anita Sanz<\/em>, PhD, Psychologist<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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