Everyone in this world has them.  Regardless of age, race, ability, economic status or where we reside no one is exempted. There is a myriad of factors that contribute to the frequency of how often we experience these days. Depending on how equipped a person is can determine the outcome.  For some it’s a few seconds, for others it’s long drawn out days, when it’s gone, it’s only for a time, oh don’t take the sunshine away.

There’s an old saying that when it rains it pours. Although no one can stop the rain from falling, we can prepare ourselves in advance to recognize grey and cloud ladened skies. Taking shelter from the storm to avoid the downpour can only happen if we are cognizant of what’s happening around us and if we heed the warnings of Mother Nature or the meteorologist.

In regards to where change is concerned it is essential to develop personal tactics to circumvent pressure when we have difficult days and we feel like reverting to our old ways.  An area of change that is commonly compromised by challenges is weight loss.  Millions of people globally strive to lose weight and go to extreme measures to do so.  Whether it is workout regiments, dieting or lifestyle alteration, weight loss is comprised of sacrifice, goal setting and discipline. When goals are accomplished the personal emotional rewards are tremendous.  People speak of feeling elated and on top of the world knowing that they have made change come to fruition on their terms. It’s at these times when we feel invincible that we let our guard down and open ourselves up to temptation.  This could take the shape of consuming junk food we had stopped eating or missing a scheduled workout we never dared miss during the journey to fulfill our goal. We make excuses for ourselves, “I’m going back on a diet tomorrow; it’s too late to go for a walk” etc.  If we are not careful we could find ourselves right back where we started compounded by feeling deflated.

Hence the importance of developing a support system that works in conjunction with our planned change to identify our individual potential problem areas we might run into. In addition we want to ensure our custom designed system incorporates supporting us at times of vulnerability.  Having pre-established coping mechanisms to turn to in the event all hell breaks loose is smart planning and as we know the earlier the intervention the lesser the consequence. People who are aware of your journey and have helped you along the way make a great place to turn to. Designate key individuals based on your relationships and their personalities to play specific roles. Equip people in your circle on how best to intervene and support you. These people can sound the alarm when they see you engaging in potentially risky behaviour and give you an authorized reality check when need be based on your instruction.

No one said that change would be easy and maintaining change is definitely not.  However on those difficult days when things can go south quickly in a blink of an eye, set yourself up beforehand to minimize your risks.  You’ve worked way too hard to change and let’s face it that ounce of intervention is worth its weight in gold.

Now that’s real talk