Don’t judge yourself if you fall back into unhealthy coping mechanisms. Growth is not linear. There is no straight line towards some “ideal” version of yourself. Life is messy, growth is messy. It’s called growing pains for a reason. The process is not always pleasant or predictable.

If you fall into negative thinking or unhealthy patterns the answer is to get back to the healthy habits as quickly as possible and to get curious about what caused you to fall back. Use it as an opportunity to get clear on what causes you to fall back to unhealthy habits. Find out what triggers you, what needs to be healed, what is and is not working for you. Brainstorm ways to set yourself up for success. Use each set back as a teaching moment, as an opportunity to learn a little more. Even if you’ve been here before, use each set back as an opportunity to dig a little deeper, to heal a little more, to learn about what does and does not work for you.