Mindful Monday post from The Goddess Cheat Sheet
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Dealing with Unfinished Self Growth?
Hello, and happy summer to you. While I'm not a fan of warm weather or sunshine myself, living in Tucson has taught me to appreciate the monsoon season for its refreshing rain and thunderstorms amid the desert heat.
Today, on this Mindful Monday, I want to delve into how mindfulness and self-accountability—cornerstones of my coaching practice—can help us recognize and change patterns that might not be serving our best interests.
The Illusion of Completion
In the journey of personal growth, it's common for people to believe they've sorted out their issues or blame others for their problems. However, these beliefs often mask deeper issues that require attention. With over seven years as a certified life coach, I've seen clients reach a point where they think they're done with their personal growth, only to discover underlying challenges that still need addressing.
Case Study Insights: Understanding Mental Space and Self-Accountability
One client I worked with struggled with a habit of excessively focusing on others' opinions and appearances. This extended from obsessing over social media interactions to fixating on strangers' judgments in public. To tackle this, I devised a mindfulness challenge to help them become aware of how much mental energy these thoughts consumed and their underlying motivations.
Over ten days, the client practiced mindfulness daily. They observed when these thoughts arose, questioned why they felt compelled to entertain them, and reflected on how these behaviors impacted their well-being. Simultaneously, they committed to self-accountability by journaling these thoughts instead of sharing them with others.
During this time, the client realized how often they wanted to engaged in negative conversations or share content with friends, children, or family that wasn't uplifting. They recognized patterns of criticizing others or speaking negatively about themselves, behaviors that didn't align with their values or aspirations.
Through this process, the client uncovered learned behaviors influenced by childhood experiences and parental influences. They saw how these habits of superficial judgment and excessive self-focus hindered their personal growth and self-acceptance.
Knowing When to Seek Further Support
While coaching can facilitate significant personal insights and growth, there are times when deeper issues require specialized support. In this case, the client chose to seek additional help through mental health counseling to address underlying emotional and psychological aspects beyond the scope of life coaching.
Applying Mindfulness and Self-Accountability
I share this story to highlight how seemingly harmless habits can profoundly impact our mental well-being and personal development. Even after making progress in personal growth, lingering patterns may persist, preventing us from fully embracing who we want to be.
As you reflect on your own behaviors and thought patterns this week, consider how mindfulness and self-accountability can empower you to break free from habits that no longer serve your best interests. Challenge yourself to understand why certain thoughts dominate your mind and explore practical strategies to redirect your focus towards more constructive pursuits aligned with your values.
With love and light.
Thoughtful question of the day: do you have ways to do a self check for positive and negative habits?