The comfort zone

Shattering the comfort zone 

In today's blog I am going to discuss how easy it is to get stuck in a rut, the problems that co-inside with being complacent followed by some practical pointers on breaking free from the comfort zone. I am going to be very practical referring to my own experiences, which should, (hopefully) give you some insight on dealing with similar situations yourselves. Also, I'm going to use this opportunity to give a shout out to The Dyspraxia Foundation, Manchester Adult support group. Why you ask? Simply because they deserve it and perhaps if you are a Dyspraxic Adult who is feeling lonely and misunderstood this could be an opportunity for you to be proactive and do something about it. I'm of the firm belief that effort regardless of the barriers in the way, empowers and strengthens you for the next battle that life throws your way. 

My Ruts'  

As of recently there have been two negative ruts that I have caged myself in, but first how do you define a 'rut?'  Well according to old trusty (Aka google); A rut is defined as  "a habit or pattern of behaviour that has become dull and unproductive but is hard to change." My two Ruts' that were hard to shake off until recently involved travelling long distances and that of going off plan with regards slimming world and telling myself that I will put it right Monday. Word to the wise repeating this rut will certainly sabotage your weight loss.

The three C's and the pitfalls 

      Now, lets think about this, why are ruts so easy to trap ourselves in, in the first place? Ruts are (the 3 C's) comfortable, convenient and cheap. Repetitive ruts are familiar, to the point where you can coast through them with no thought and effort required.  In the context of travelling I have procrastinated going to the Dyspraxic Adult support group because I have been unwell, tired and nervous. Whilst, they are all understandable reasons for me to not make an effort, it begs the question did I really want to go in the first place? You see I'm in pain 24/7 but I usually find ways of managing it so that it does not rule me but with regards travelling to Manchester I kept telling myself; I cant go it's too far and I will pay for it afterwards. When really I should have put things in place to make it possible, such as; making sure everything is tidy and organised ahead of time, bringing co-codomal with me, and getting an early night. Ensuring that I avoided doing too much the day before and the day after is another step  that I could have taken to have made the journey possible. 

                  With regards Slimming World I would often fall into the same trap whereby I would eat something really synful or too many of them and then I would tell myself it doesn't matter I will start again on Monday but before I knew it, Monday had been and gone two times over and I was still telling myself the same thing. Albert Einstein once said that a sign of insanity is carrying out the same task repeatedly and expecting different results. A few weeks passed any because I have not been sticking to plan I was avoiding going for my weigh ins'. And, you guessed it some of the weight I lost had comeback to haunt me. A good friend of mine said to me, why do I set myself up for failure following a pattern that I know will fail? Why do I carry on, on a loop?  

                                 This is where the pitfalls come in, if we stay in a rut, that's exactly where we remain and though we don't feel like it at times, we have the ability to steer the ship in the right direction. To surmise the pitfalls - "no change means no change". So yesterday instead of hiding I went to Slimming World and got weighed. Yes I did put some weight back on ( but thankfully, nowhere near as much as I thought). I don't know about you my fellow Dyspraxics but sometimes I find that the fear of doing something is blown way out of proportion, when actually it wasn't that bad. Just last Saturday my friend and I attended the Dyspraxia Foundation Manchester Adult Support group. I really wanted to go but another part of me, ( a much bigger part) wanted to hide away in my bedroom. Being that I recognised I was in a rut, it was up to me to do something about it. 

Tackling the rut head on 

Step 1 be honest and acknowledge you are in a Rut 

Step 2 Write down all the possible reasons and or excuses why you don't want to do a particular task 

Step 3  Write down all the possible reasons for going and or doing a particular action 

Step 4 Listen carefully to a close friend who catches your drift... maybe if you haven't realised your stuck on a continuous loop, your friend may be the one who points it out to you. 

Step 5 Feel the fear and do it anyway ( Well worth a read) ... Remind yourself of all the times where you worried and over fixated on an issue only to find that actually doing it wasn't that bad. 

Step 6  After facing your fear  make a record of the experience whether it be in a journal or on a Dictaphone and state how you felt for conquering your obstacles and review that record when you next have another challenge to face.

The Dyspraxia Foundation, Manchester Adult support group.     

                           As you already know I was feeling really anxious about travelling to and from Manchester, and I was also feeling nervous about reconnecting with people who I haven't seen in the flesh in a long time. So, recognising I was stuck on a loop I asked my friend who is interested in Dyspraxia to come with me, I made sure that the flat was clean and organised so that I could minimise my work load when I came back, went to bed at a more reasonable time and made sure that I had meds with me on the train.  We met up with the lovely Ruth Emma Foley and caught a taxi to Nexus Art café. I can honestly say, I don't know what I was so anxious about. My friend and I were made to feel welcome and we all had a good time in each others company. In a none Dyspraxic world it is so easy to feel isolated but when you are in a room full of other Dyspraxic Adults there's a freedom that envelopes you whereby you can be yourself without fear of judgement. I would encourage Dyspraxic Adults to look for a support group within your area, if not perhaps you can contact the Dyspraxia Foundation to find out where the nearest support group is. Another option to consider is setting up your own Dyspraxia Support Group. It is worth contacting Janet Taylor and/ or the Dyspraxia foundation to see what support they can offer in doing so!