4 Productive Questions To Reflect On When Dealing With A Setback
We all deal with setbacks in life. When it comes to our health aspirations, facing a setback can feel frustrating and disappointing. Maybe you’ve set a goal that you haven’t hit in time, maybe you’ve slipped back into a habit you’re trying to kick… regardless of what your setback is, how you deal with it is a key factor in finding overall success. These four questions aim to keep you forward focused, motivated, and empowered to fight for your health goals.
Ask: “What Did I Learn?”
Taking the opportunity to learn about yourself and your behavior will help you step back and find what has been helpful and what has been unhelpful in reaching your goals. Taking a revelation out of a setback can help you turn a seemingly negative situation into a positive one.
Let’s look at an example: You are working on mindful eating and when feeling stressed with work, mindlessly overate.
In reflecting and asking “What Did I Learn” you may discover:
Having the TV on during dinner distracts you from your eating and how you feel.
Things are just too busy to have time to cook dinner, so you end up starving and thus overeating.
Ask: “How Can I Adapt Moving Forward”?
Similar to #1, deciding how you can adapt and move forward keeps you motivated and on track. You’re still keeping your overall goal, just adjusting how you’re getting there.
Let’s look at our example: You are working on mindful eating and when feeling stressed with work, mindlessly overate.
In adapting your approach you may:
Having the TV on during dinner distracts you from your eating and how you feel, so going forward you will wait to watch your show until your meal is done. As you eat, you can try listening to calming music instead.
Things are just too busy to have time to cook dinner, so you end up starving and thus overeating. Next week you’ll either meal prep on Sunday so your dinners are planned, or you’ll try ordering from a meal delivery service so it’s not another stressor added to your plate (no pun intended)
Ask: “How Can I Keep My Inspiration?”
Setbacks typically lead us to engage in negative self-talk, which adds to our stress and feelings of defeat. It’s healthy to acknowledge your frustrations and disappointment, but the difference is being able to move on and. move forward from these feelings. It’s important to remember that despite this setback, you are still capable.
Let’s look at our example: You are working on mindful eating and when feeling stressed with work, mindlessly overate.
In reflecting on how to keep yourself inspired you may:
Take action to make a playlist of your favorite peaceful songs that you can use for your next meal.
Research which meal delivery service works for you and your family or find and download the ingredients for some quick healthy meals to make on Sunday.
Ask: “What and Who Do I Need For Accountability?”
Accountability is key. The “what” may be: an alarm on your phone, a blocked out spot on your calendar, or the gym bag you pack and leave next to your door. The “who” may be: a mentor, a coach, or anyone who checks in on you and your goals. Having accountability methods helps us as we work towards our goals. Remember: when it comes to accountability, honesty is key. Be honest with yourself about what is realistic for you to achieve, and be honest with your accountability partner.
Let’s look at our example: You are working on mindful eating and when feeling stressed with work, mindlessly overate.
In defining an accountability method you may:
Set aside an hour of your day, marked on your calendar, to sit down and make your playlist.
Engage your partner in doing the meal delivery service with you. Another option would be sending photos of your sunday meal prep day to your family, coach, or mentor.
As we all face setbacks in relation to our health goals, the importance is looking ahead and adjusting to find a way that works for you. Everyone is different, and what works for you likely isn’t the same as what works for your friend. Additionally, as time goes on we grow and change and maybe our old methods need to be adjusted. Remember that your setback isn’t a “fail.” It’s a “try.” So, as you consider the four questions above, what will you try next?