Facing Your Paleo Fears
A recent article on Primitive Movement has got me thinking.
Entitled ‘Fear is in the Head‘, the author does a great job at a succinct overview of what happens in our head when we are in fear of something and how we can utilize that very fear itself into something very productive.
All of us are scared of something, in varying degrees and at different points in our lives, whether it’s in work, sport or a relationship. What feels scary to one person may seem silly to another, but the feeling are very real regardless.
The important thing is how one deals with their fear.
A little fear of something now and then, to me, is reason in and of itself to try to challenge whatever it is that feels daunting. I can honestly say that there has never been a single occasion in which I was scared of something and saw it though and then regretted it. Almost 100% of the time, it has resulted in a feeling of elation and increased confidence as well as a sense of doing the right thing at the right time.
Years ago, when I first began including sport psychology as a regular part of my triathlon and marathon training, not only did I begin to improve in sport, I found that the very same skills I was implementing actually served to be an integral part in building my business and developing my brand.
Of course, another approach is to not do what one feels intimidated by. It is indeed an option and may be best addressed by separating pros and cons, risk and reward and then deciding if going through with whatever issue is at hand is the smart move.
So what on earth has this got to do with Paleo?
A lot, actually.
Ever heard of fear of success? Or fear of abandoning that which is familiar to us, even though it might not be the best thing for us?
Just recently, I had the chance to speak with a women so debilitated by illness that she cannot walk and is bound to her wheelchair. She tried Paleo half-heartedly for a very short period of time, decided it didn’t work and now continues to eat a diet containing gluten, white sugar and far too little vegetables.
Granted, I don’t know enough about the rest of her situation to fairly comment, nor am I making grandiose claims that were she to go full Paleo, she’d be cured.
However, I cannot help but wonder if there is at least an element of fear of the unknown, fear of something new and different, or even simply fear of trying something and not having it work out and having gotten one’s hopes up for nothing.
Back to the realm of Paleo, some common fears that clients have shared with me over the years include a fear of not having enough time to prepare healthy meals, appearing ‘odd’ to others in social situations, being a nuisance when dining out due to the modifications we make to menu options or requests to the server and not being understood by our family or friends.
Ultimately, we all have to make the choice to try something that could potentially change our lives incrementally and, if need be, we may need to risk standing on our own… but that will only likely be for a short period of time. If it comes down to a choice of finally feeling healthy or reaching our goal weight or being able to have our docs take away our meds versus a no-risk situation where we don’t dare rock the boat, yet remain living in a state of sub-clincal illness, is it really worth it?
Remember, your mind makes the decision and your body will follow….whether it’s a positive or a negative call. Why not go with the positive?
