Imagine you are in a boat, enjoying the day on the lake. Think about how good the sunshine feels, how the wind feels in your hair as you whip across the lake. Maybe you waterski, tube, swim, wakeboard, or wake surf. What a wonderful day that would be!

Now, imagine you are ready to take a break, so you turn off the boat, lay down on the couch, and just chat with your friends, have a bite to eat, and just enjoy the moment.

Hang on… who is at the helm? Where is the boat going?

Boats, if left unattended, will drift whichever way the water is flowing. There is very little resistance, and often little awareness of even doing so.

I remember when my family and I were in a boat and we had turned it off to have a bite to eat. We were safe, there weren't any other boats around, and we were in a deep part of the lake; however, after a little while, my dad (always ever aware of the water depth) cut everyone off mid-sentence, turned the boat on, and trolled the boat to a new location. You see, even though my dad was aware (I had no awareness whatsoever), he still had to relocate the boat because it was drifting.

When we are maintaining changes in our lives, the biggest threat to the longevity of the changes is often the drift. Think about it in your own life. Is there a relationship that drifted apart due to a lessened connection? Is there a job where you drifted away from because your values weren’t aligned? Have you ever asked yourself, “How the hell did I get here?”

Our brains LOOOOOOVE the path of least resistance. Why? There is less work involved. When the brain has a strong neural pathway, that is often the path of least resistance picked. As you have been on this journey, I’d invite you to reflect on the new habits and thoughts that come quite naturally to you. It likely wasn’t always the case.

The thing is, when we maintain changes, we must also maintain awareness of the changes.

This is where drifting can take place—if we aren’t aware or noticing our thoughts, it’s easy to drift. Remember, your brain is SUUPER SMART and has long-term memory, which means that even though your brain has built new neural pathways, the old ones sit in long-term memory.

Now, the point of this is not to be all doom and gloom. You’ve healed from that. The point of this is about reminding you to notice where your boat is and move it if you are starting to drift towards shore.

So. Let’s check in:

• Where is your boat?

• How do you know your boat isn’t drifting?

• How would you know your boat IS drifting?

• What thoughts might you start to have?

• What beliefs or self-talk might start to creep back in?

• Are there any behaviors that might indicate to you that you have started to drift?

For myself, it can be very easy to fall back into old eating habits that are very detrimental to my health. To me, they are also a sign that I’m not as okay as I’d like to think. I know that if I am choosing starchy food, I am feeling overwhelmed and trying to cope with it. Being aware of my boat means that food doesn’t provide me with the emotional regulation that I need in those moments. Because my body pays for it for weeks after. My thyroid stops working as optimally, I am so tired I can’t do anything, I’m irritable, and my stomach hurts so bad. Seems like it’s easier to just notice and catch myself before falling into the spiral of self-destruction, right?

Wrong. If I’m drifting, I don’t even notice I’m doing it.

So. Here’s my hack. I narrate what I’m doing when I’m doing it.

I know. It seems totally weird…but it works (experiment and try it yourself). You see, our thoughts start to drift when we do ‘mindless’ tasks that don’t require a lot of concentration. In these moments, those old habits can very slowly start to creep back in. So when I’m emptying the dishwasher, I’m listening to music and singing along or I do this: “I’m emptying the dishwasher. First, I’ll start with the plates, next I’ll move onto the cutlery, then I’ll do cups.” And I slowly just notice what I’m doing.

What we’re talking about is being mindful in everyday practices. Mindfulness, remember, is really what can take you out of your head that we both know wants to overthink even the slightest thing. Your brain is too smart and let’s face it, is deeply satisfied with being complex all the time. It’s just not at peace when it’s like that.

Continuing to maintain changes is simply bringing awareness to your present moment, and checking in with yourself.

• How are you…really?

• What are you feeling?

• How does it feel?

• Where do you feel it?

Thanks so much for tuning in today. I encourage you to experiment with this concept to check in with yourself, give yourself some attention and nurturing, and keep manifesting the growth you have been working so hard at!!

See you next time here in our Garden.