How to Cultivate a Change Mindset & Fix Your Periods
There are only 3 things that you need to do in order for you to have Pain & PMS free periods; change your diet, change your lifestyle and change your habits *mic drop* that’s it, everybody go home.
Lol. Simple right!? Granted there are some people in the world who can make changes and stick to them..… A-type personalities, I’m looking at you. As for the rest of us, we’re going to need a little help! That’s why cultivating a change mindset first, is necessary in order to achieve Pain & PMS free periods.
Change means choosing something different from what you’ve done in the past. It sounds simple but don’t be fooled, our brains don’t want us to change. Thinking a new thought means making a new synaptic connection (these are physical connections between the neurons in our brain) and this takes effort and energy. Our brains default mode is to conserve energy, and because it’s physically easier to think a thought you’ve thought before, changing your diet, lifestyle and habits is difficult.
Noticing when your brain is in default mode (when you unconsciously do the same thing you’ve always done) is key to activating your change mindset. This means becoming aware your choices in the moment. In order to do this you must become aware of your thoughts and feelings in the moments when change is required. Maybe that means becoming aware of why you’re choosing to have coffee number three, or why you’re mindlessly eating the entire block of chocolate. Setting an intention to become aware of your thoughts and feelings and keeping yourself accountable by writing in a journal is a great place to start.
Here’s something you might not know:
You are not your feelings: you feel your feelings
You are not your thoughts: you think your thoughts
What that looks like in reality is the difference between “I’m anxious” and “I’m feeling anxious”. When you notice you’re feeling anxious you will be able to find time and space in your mind to question your anxiety. You can ask yourself; why am I feeling anxious? What has caused this feeling of anxiety? Do I want to continue to feel anxious? What could I do to calm my anxiety right now? When you begin to answer these questions, you will allow yourself the time and space to cultivate your change mindset.
Simply rephrasing the thought “I need a coffee”, to “I feel like I need a coffee” creates space and allows you time to ask yourself critical questions. Like; why do I feel like I need a coffee right now? Am I tired? Do I feel like I need a coffee because I want to get out of the house? Am I looking for an excuse to get away from work? Do I need some fresh air? Do I need something fun in my life right now? You can also address bigger questions like; is this need for coffee in alignment with the larger need I have to resolve my Period Problems?
The simple act of creating distance from your choices is the key to cultivating a change mindset. You have the power to make new choices because your brain is not permanently hard wired. Your brain just needs a little time to make new synaptic connections and voila, a new habit is formed. When you make a new choice again and again your brain is rewires itself and eventually the new choice becomes easier. This is thirsty work friends, your brain will use more energy when you start to choose new things and think new thoughts, so eat enough and sleep well.
Cultivating a change mindset won’t happen over night. But starting today will get you where you want to go faster than willpower ever could. Here’s an easy to remember how you can cultivate your change mindset:
Step 1 - Detach
Detach and create distance from your feelings and your thoughts. Add the words “I’m feeling…” or “I’m thinking…” to your default statements.
Step 2 - Stay Curious
Stay curious and ask yourself why you’re doing what you usually do. Ask yourself questions like; what could I do differently? Is there a better way of doing it? What would bring me closer to my goals?
Step 3 - Accountability
Hold yourself accountable by journaling about the choices you make everyday.
Pain & PMS free periods are not only possible but they’re waiting for you on the other side of consistent diet, lifestyle and habit change. Are you ready to start making some serious changes in your life? Are you ready to get your life back, to feel free to do what you want any day of the month? Are you ready to fix your own damn period?
I’m Gemma, a Period and Cycle Syncing Coach and I’ve got 👉 3 ways I can help you 👈 click on the red text and get started on your journey today.
