“When we learn to laugh at ourselves, when we learn to give ourselves a little bit of grace, when we learn to be more generous and forgiving towards ourselves it all becomes a little bit easier.”~ Catherine Dean
When it comes to improving our health or changing our habits, we often make it so difficult for ourselves. The reason for this?
We think it is has to be difficult.
Now, I know how uncomfortable change can be. Stepping out of our comfort zone isn’t easy. It’s called our comfort zone for a reason, although I would argue that stepping outside of your comfort zone can also be fun, exhilarating and help you to grow, but that’s a topic for another time.
Stepping out of our comfort zone doesn’t mean every single step we take has to be difficult or painful though.
When we learn to laugh at ourselves, it doesn’t mean that we’re not taking ourselves and our achievements seriously. It’s about knowing that we’re human. We all make mistakes. When things go wrong or we make mistakes, it doesn’t mean we’re a failure or that we have messed up.
It means we are human.
Learning to laugh at ourselves makes it easier to let go and move on from mistakes or when things went wrong. It can help us to be kinder and more compassionate to ourselves and learn from what happened instead of feeling guilty or judging ourselves so harshly.
Here are seven tips to help you laugh more and struggle less on your health journey, and just live life with more ease, joy, and having some fun along the way.
7 Steps To Help You Laugh More and Struggle Less
1. Laugh at Yourself
Learning to laugh at ourselves can help us to learn from our mistakes. When we see our mistakes as human, fixable and something to learn from instead of catastrophic failures it can be a game changer.
2. Refocus
Focusing on “How can I eat more colourful, nutrient rich food?” instead of cutting out all the foods we love makes healthy eating easier and more enjoyable. Moving away from the diet mentality and prioritising eating more nutrient dense foods
3. Workout
Finding a form of exercise, we enjoy and makes us feel strong, confident, and energised can take our focus away from movement purely as a way of burning calories. It can also help us appreciate our bodies for all the amazing things they are capable of.
4. Put Your Phone Down
Putting your phone away without worrying about what you’re missing out on and focusing on how much more productive you are. Many of us suffer from comparisonitis, which can a big source of stress in our social media driven lives. The simple act of putting our phone away can reduce the symptoms of comparisonitis.
5. Sleep and Recharge
Viewing sleep as a way of recharging and rejuvenating ourselves so we wake up with those elusive feelings of being rested, refreshed, and restored. This can help us to prioritise sleep and make winding down for bed a pleasure, not a chore.
6. Prioritize stress management
Prioritising stress management instead of viewing it as a luxury only available for others with too much time on their hands. When we effectively manage our stress, it can positively impact every other aspect of our life.
7. Have a Growth Mindset
Realising that learning, growing, and developing are not only possible for you, but things that you absolutely deserve. Having a growth mindset can help us to embrace challenges and find inspiration in other peoples’ success.
When we learn to laugh at ourselves, when we learn to give ourselves a little bit of grace, when we learn to be more generous and forgiving towards ourselves it all becomes a little bit easier.
It’s okay to enjoy life. Enjoying the journey isn’t frivolous, it’s doesn’t mean you’re not taking your goals seriously. It can actually help you achieve your goals more quickly and easily. Believing that life can and should be fun. We don’t have to feel guilty or ashamed when we eat something we love or do something purely because it gives us pleasure.
Laughter breaks the spell. In so many ways.
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Catherine Dean
Catherine is a qualified Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach passionate about helping women who are fed up of fad diets to lose weight, have more energy and feel better about themselves. When she's not supporting clients or writing blog posts or her monthly column she can be found between the beautiful and sunny French Riviera with her husband or back home in the North of England with family and friends. She love practicing yoga, eating chocolate, spoiling her kitten and enjoying a glass of wine. Catherine doesn't believe in depriving yourself, but she does believe in enjoying life and supporting women to feel good. You can find her on at www.catherinedeancoaching.co.uk or on Instagram.
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