How to Get Started When You're Nervous to Start (A Step-By-Step Guide)
COURAGE, the cowardly dog and the secret ingredient.
Making any sort of change takes an ounce or two of bravery. You know that, because those fitness/life changes you've thought about but haven't made are sitting there licking their lips and twiddling their thumbs, looming in the distance, reminding you of what you haven't done yet, which is at the very least intimidating, if not downright terrifying.
Hoards of advice would tell you to just do it anyway, that the only way to get started is to start, that the time is passing by no matter what so you might as well get to stepping. I don't disagree, and also... if you were gonna get started after hearing all that, you would've done it already ("you," is really, "we," here).
The fear will never disappear entirely, so, what then?
My friend @gangstagurry had a super powerful energy reading earlier this week that got me thinking about this in different ways, welcoming the changes we've yet to make and stepping into the new life that's already here, based on the work we've done. It's here, ready to greet you when you're ready to look.
(That part takes courage, too.)
One of the places I've learned this most thoroughly is the gym; it's what keeps me coming back to lifting even when I'd really rather not, after using it as a coping mechanism rather than a way to connect with myself (valid, and, sometimes, I'd like something more sparkly and fun, you know?). When I gave up all the coercion, trying to force my fitness routine (and, by extension, my body) into some form of structure suiting the person I thought I should be, rather than the person I am, I discovered not just courage, but also myself.
But how do you nurture the bravery you're not convinced, due to as-of-now-unmade changes, you have?
1. Acknowledge that, "failure," isn't really a thing. Mistakes are, sure, but as long as you're alive, you have chances to improve, pivot, learn, grow, change.
2. Start in a low-stakes environment. Maybe, for you, that's an at-home workout where no one can see you. Maybe it's a group class. Maybe it's with a trainer. Maybe it's a workout with headphones even if you're not listening to anything (a personal fav), or a new walking route, or a different piece of cardio equipment. Maybe it's strutting into the gym and taking up all the space on full display. The stakes are different for everyone, based on our level of safety and comfort and so many other things. But there are myriad options for finding an environment that is affirming to YOU and your preferences, where you can try something new while being received with grace, compassion, and joy.
3. Tune into your body and notice how you feel while doing the thing. Scared? Excited? Overwhelmed? Empowered? Something else?
4. Do the same ^^ after doing the thing. Do your feelings match the immediately-after feelings, or have they changed?
5. CELEBRATE YOURSELF: you did the thing!
I've found doing the thing where we'm more comfortable (a low-stakes environment, or somewhere else entirely: I've racked up a few gym wins before I do big work things, or scary personal life things, because, over time, I have grown comfortable there. Nothing wrong with employing multiple modalities; it is in fact encouraged, in my world.) shows us we can do the thing where we're less so. You can take the above steps and apply them to any environment, AND, this is a place fitness skills can transfer over to the rest of your life, if you look.
xoxo,
Steph
