Welcome to episode 9 of Wellness Wednesday’s Audio Series.

I’m Nissrine, registered holistic nutritionist, mindful nutrition & wellness coach for female entrepreneurs who are looking to prioritize their health and wellbeing without fad diets and wellness trends.

I created this series to bring a fresh perspective to nutrition and wellness, one that is centered on and lead by you.

There’s a plethora of information out there and it can be really hard to know what to do and eat to feel good in your body.

It’s easy to get caught up in fad diets and wellness trends, often questioning, doubting and second guessing your decisions when it comes to the way you nourish and care for yourself.

I wholeheartedly believe that; reconnecting with your own innate wisdom to know what your body needs to thrive is the first step to a life-changing transformation and true lasting wellness; and that progress is made by taking small steps, mindfully, intentionally and consistently.

In today’s episode, I’m talking about the all or nothing cycle when it comes to nutrition and self-care and how so many women find themselves stuck in this loop without necessarily realizing it, acknowledging it as a problem, or even understanding the root cause of it, which frankly, is the only way you’re ever going to break out of the cycle.

The all or nothing cycle is a mindset where, simply put, you feel like you have to be all in or all out with your efforts.

You see things as black or white, this or that, good or bad, extremes with very little middle ground.

This mindset demands perfection from you, it breeds self-blame and it ultimately drives you to give up on your goals if you can't stick with them 110% of the time.

Now in order to overcome this all or nothing mindset though, you have to first recognize the thought patterns, acknowledge them as problematic and understand where they come from. So, the root cause.

The more brilliant and successful female entrepreneurs I speak with, the more I realize that so many of you are stuck in this cycle when it comes to your nutrition and self-care and don’t necessarily recognize the issue for what it is.

While yes you may acknowledge that you’re struggling to find balance and consistency, you feel like you are somehow to blame for this because you don’t have the willpower and motivation to stick with something, and you don’t necessarily recognize how collective the problem truly is and how it ties in to diet mentality and perfectionist, type A, overachiever tendencies.

Now, I’m not saying that we should just blame society and the media for everything and wash our hands of all responsibility but it’s really important to acknowledge the role that this conditioning plays and how it impacts us.

The reality is, whether we like to admit it or not, every single woman I know, including you yes, has been impacted by diet culture in some way shape or form, to varying degrees of course.

And diet culture is 100% to blame for normalizing and even perpetuating all or nothing thinking when it comes to nutrition and self-care.

You know though, that nothing is ever a matter of black and white - there's a lot of grey, purple and pink and a multitude of other colours, shades and hues.

You know this because you’re smart, you’re brilliant quite frankly.

Yet somehow when it comes to nourishing and caring for your body, you still get trapped in this vicious all or nothing cycle.

But here’s the good news.

Once you understand that this in fact is the real issue, that you’re not alone and that it’s not your fault (i.e. it’s not because something is inherently wrong with you), it becomes infinitely easier to move past it.

Shifting your mindset and shedding the all or nothing mentality is one of the most important things you can do for yourself. It's not always easy, but it is possible.

As a recovering type A, overachiever, perfectionist, I understand that better than anyone else.

So if I can do it, so can you.

To help you do that, I’m sharing my top tips for overcoming the all or nothing mindset and learning to see the middle ground when it comes to nutrition and self-care (but really, you can apply this advice to anything in your life or business, it’s powerful and it works)

#1 Aim for most of the time instead of all the time

Change isn’t always easy. In fact, it’s rarely ever easty, it’s most often difficult. We’re creatures of habit and are built to resist change even if we know it’s best for us.

When we aim to do something new all the time, it puts a lot of pressure on us to change our habits overnight which sets us up for failure.

Aiming to do something most of the time on the other hand, allows us to commit and gives us the flexibility we need to adjust to our new habit gradually and naturally.

A common complaint I hear from women is that they go all in on weekdays and then fall apart on weekends, because they’re tired, lack the motivation to keep it up, and end up overindulging and starting over on Monday.

This is likely happening because you’re putting so much pressure on yourself to do things “perfectly” on weekdays, to do things all the time on weekdays. In your mind, you probably also associate the weekend with rest, relaxation and de stressing, decompressing. So it’s no wonder that you just throw in the towel on the weekend. Your mind and body have had enough by the time Friday afternoon comes along, they’ve had enough of the pressure and stress of following a rigid plan and they think it’s time for a break.

#2 Focus on progress, not perfection:

When you get stuck in the all or nothing cycle you feel like perfection is the only good outcome which is simply not true and that expectation sets you up for failure because perfection isn’t sustainable, or even achievable if we’re being honest.

Rather than expecting yourself to get it perfect and focusing on the "slip ups" and "setbacks" the trick is to focus on the journey not the destination.

How do you focus on the journey not the destination? You do that through awareness, presence, and intention, learning and growth along the way.

Notice what comes easy to you and what doesn’t. Pay attention to what you’re resisting and get curious about it instead of giving up or beating yourself up about it.

If you don’t get it right, simply try, and try again.

If it doesn’t feel good, ask yourself why, and don’t be afraid to walk away from something.

Not everything is meant for you and that’s ok.

I’m not saying that you should just cop out of things, but sometimes when we decide to make changes and we go all in and do all the things, we can meet resistance.

It could be because you’re trying to do too much too fast, or things that are not alignment with where you want to go.

So it’s ok to put things on the back burner and do one thing at a time and it’s ok to decide that one goal or objective is not right for you in this moment.

#3 Celebrate even the smallest of wins.

When you celebrate your progress, you stay present, focused on the here and now, on how far you've come instead of how much farther you have to go and you're excited to take the next step, you look forward to the next milestone.

Grab your reflectional journal (if you don’t have one, now’s a good time to start one) and write down all of the ways you showed up for yourself that day.

If the day didn't go as you had planned, make note of the things that did go well. If you pay attention, there is always something to celebrate, even in those moments, even if it’s a lesson learned.

Reflect on that lesson and how it can help you grow.

Self - awareness is a reason to celebrate in and of itself so just the act of doing this will help you grow and develop and learn so much more about yourself.

#4 Practice Self-Compassion

In simple terms, I want you to be nice to yourself.

That’s an order.

Resolve once and for all to treat yourself with compassion and speak to yourself the way you would speak to a friend; with love, kindness, reassurance and encouragement.

I want you to notice your intrusive and negative all or nothing thoughts and label them as that without judging yourself for it.

Journal about the thoughts.

What actually happened to trigger the them?

Think about what happened and is it really so black and white?

The truth is, there’s probably a huge gray area that you’re not seeing.

Look for it.

Find the gray area and reframe your thoughts about what actually happened.

Chances are, it wasn’t as bad as you’re imagining it to be and you’re being far too critical of yourself.

Remember, nobody is perfect, and with time, consistency and practice you can accomplish anything including your nutrition and self-care goals.

Just to recap, when you set out to change your habits, to adopt and cultivate healthier eating and lifestyle habits - I want you to remember these things:

1 - aim to do things most of the time instead of all the time

2 - focus on the progress you’re making and resist seeking out perfection in everything you do

3 - celebrate the small wins, so when you do make that progress, celebrate it and be proud of yourself for how far you’ve come

4 - and always practice self-compassion because the wellness journey is all about self-love, self-care and self-respect and it kind of defeats the purpose if you’re going to be hard on yourself, judgemental toward yourself, critical of yourself. Self compassion is key.

If you need support with this, I invite you to book a complimentary wellness consultation with me. We’ll chat about your goals and how my program and coaching methodology can support you. At the very least, you’ll get the clarity and confidence to face the wellness journey ahead of you.

Book a Complimentary no Obligation Wellness Consultation

To chat about your goals and learn more about my coaching programs and packages and how I can support you in reaching your wellness goals with ease and simplicity as you build the business and life of your dreams.

Let's Chat

On that note, thank you for tuning in.

If you enjoyed this episode, don’t forget to subscribe and share with a friend and be sure to tune in next week for another episode of Wellness Wednesday Audio Series, where I a share a short audio clip each week to inspire you to reconnect with yourself on a deeper level so you can start nourishing and caring for yourself, more mindfully and intentionally.

Until next week,

Stay healthy, happy and safe,

Nissrine

P.S. If you’d like to be a part of my pilot program, entitled (re) Awaken Your Innate Food Wisdom, a self-paced mindful nutrition program with 4 weeks of group support to help you prioritize your nutrition & wellness without fad diets and trends, get on my mailing list to get an exclusive invitation once I’m ready to launch it.

It will be a journey to learning more about your body and what it needs to thrive; A mindful approach to nutrition that will improve your relationship with food; and a wellness education program that will guide you for life so your nutrition and self-care will always be a priority.

To get on my mailing list, subscribe to this audio series or download my simple 5 step framework to nourishing meals in minutes and you’ll be the first to know when the pilot program is ready for testing.

Episode 9 Four Tips For Overcoming The All Or Nothing Mindset When It Comes To Nutrition & Self-Care (and life in general)