After what seems like an eternity of isolation, inactivity and dare I say emotional eating, the coronavirus shelter-in-place orders have finally begun to ease. With that now happening, businesses are reactivating, people are becoming more mobile and offices are beginning to stir. That’s great news for the weight loss professional who is more than ready to get back to the clinic and again have that personal and important face-to-face contact with their clients. Thus begins the ending of a very interesting and trying chapter in all of our lives. As a matter of fact, if you think of your life as a book comprised of many different chapters, this chapter would certainly stand out as a notable and perhaps pivotal point in your life story. As I like to say, the ending of one thing is always the beginning of something else. So why not make the end of the virus upheaval the beginning of your journey to wellness.
The truth is that you have a wonderful opportunity before you right now at this very moment. What you do now could become a significant and life changing chapter in your life. If you decide to reenter the world with a renewed sense of health consciousness, you may one day look back and remember this whole coronavirus disturbance as the catalyst that turned your life around regarding your health.
With that in mind, I’d like you to consider participating in a little awareness activity that I call The Next Chapter. I offer this suggestion every once in a while as it’s an interesting and creative way to think about and mindfully strategize a healthier future. I call this activity The Next Chapter because it’s truly about the next chapter, in your real life story, that you are just getting ready to write. The story of your life up until now has already been told but the next chapter has yet to be written. I suggest that you make the topic of the next chapter about improving your health and, as a result, commit yourself to being a better steward of your physical and emotional self. If you do that, you will be laying the foundation for a healthier future.
When all is said and done, your life is very much like a book and you alone are the author of that book. After all, it is your life! You write all the dialogue for your life, you create the settings you operate in, you cast the characters you interact with and you direct the action throughout. Each phase of your journey is like a different chapter in your life book. What I ask you to do today is to be proactive, look forward and be more mindful about living a healthier life. Make the subject of this next chapter all about how you finally found the internal fortitude to take charge of your health and manage your weight.
As you know, the table of contents in a book lays out the story chapter by chapter. Each chapter title is an indication of what’s to come as the novel progresses in a linear fashion from beginning to end. Your journey to wellness is very much like a novel. I’m sure some of you are thinking that your particular weight loss and wellness novel belongs somewhere in the science fiction or horror section. But the fact remains that your wellness journey is like a novel that is not yet finished. If you follow my analogy, just like a novel your life journey is also broken up into segments or chapters. What I want you to focus on today is the next chapter in your life book. This Chapter is all about your emergence from the coronavirus shutdown and what happens to your health and wellness as you reengage the world.
So, in an attempt to get you thinking forward, my question to you today is this. If your journey to a healthier life is the next chapter in your book, what will you title the next chapter? I suggest you give this some serious thought and create a title that encapsulates the true image of what you intend to do in this chapter of your life. Then I suggest you write that title down and post it in various places where you will see it regularly. You may also want to repeat it to yourself prior to every time you eat. And just before you go to bed each night go to the mirror, look yourself directly in the eye and repeat it 5 times out loud. This may help the message work its way into your dreams and imbed itself in your consciousness thereby effecting you a deeper and more profound way. Let that chapter title represent your personal wellness mantra and serve as a constant reminder of your goal and purpose. Because, when all is said and done, YOU are the author of your life and only YOU can create the story line and the framework in which you live that life. And, as the author, you have the complete power to write a story of your liking with the ending of your choice!
Download your own copy of, A Return to Weight Loss:The Next Chapter – A Return to Weight Loss
If you like this article, you might enjoy,“What’s Your Eating Average”.
Wishing You Great Health,
Dr. John H. Sklare
Dr. Sklare is the originator of The Inner Diet Program and was a practicing Psychotherapist for many years. He partners with Nutritional Resources (d/b/a HealthWise- www.healthwisenri.com) for the creation of intellectual content for weight loss practitioners and their patients.