In this episode of Thrive for Men, Nant speaks with David Cain about his own mental health challenges and how that has created the man he is today.Having spent years in the automotive industry, David understands the need for any workplace to provide a healthy environment for their team members, and to understand that prevention is crucial to changing the narrative around mental health.David is the Founder and Managing Director of Prevention through Connection, and is a trained Youth and Adult First Aid Mental Health Provider.As you will hear in the podcast, there is so much we can do to help, connect and prevent mental health deterioration in the workplace. Having the courage to speak up is one of the first steps in de-stigmatising mental health.Many people experiencing mental health challenges create a mask to get through the day. You will hear David speak about how to notice your team and make sure they have an environment in which they can feel safe to unmask and open up.David has a fascinating story that will help many to understand mental health from a different perspective.Watch the Podcast!As well as listening to the Thrive for Men podcast on your favourite podcast service, you can also watch the podcast recording. Just click the play button below.Don’t miss another Thrive for Men episode!

In this episode of Thrive for Men, Nant speaks with <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/in/david-cain-44077789/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">David Cain</a> about his own mental health challenges and how that has created the man he is today.Having spent years in the automotive industry, David understands the need for any workplace to provide a healthy environment for their team members, and to understand that prevention is crucial to changing the narrative around mental health.David is the Founder and Managing Director of <a href="https://www.linkedin.com/company/preventionthroughconnection/" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">Prevention through Connection</a>, and is a trained Youth and Adult First Aid Mental Health Provider.As you will hear in the podcast, there is so much we can do to help, connect and prevent mental health deterioration in the workplace. Having the courage to speak up is one of the first steps in de-stigmatising mental health.Many people experiencing mental health challenges create a mask to get through the day. You will hear David speak about how to notice your team and make sure they have an environment in which they can feel safe to unmask and open up.David has a fascinating story that will help many to understand mental health from a different perspective.<h3>Watch the Podcast!</h3>As well as listening to the Thrive for Men podcast on your favourite podcast service, you can also watch the podcast recording. Just click the play button below.<h3>Don’t miss another Thrive for Men episode!</h3>

Toxic Workplace Survival

A large percentage of people give up their New Years’ Resolutions but it doesn’t need to be that way!Have a listen to my podcast to learn my 7 proven tips on how to achieve your New Year’s resolutions that can not only help you achieve your goals, but enjoy the process of achieving them.How to achieve your New Year’s Resolutions and avoid another year of failure		We have an ongoing narrative in the Health, Fitness and Wellness industry in regard to New Year’s Resolutions. Many people set them, yet each year, many of us give up before we have seen any real results.Understanding what we need to have in place to set ourselves up for success is crucial to the success of any goal and understanding why we fail can ensure we don’t ever make these common mistakes again.As well as this podcast, make sure you read my article on The Top 7 reasons why New Year’s Resolutions fail and avoid becoming another statistic!

A large percentage of people give up their New Years’ Resolutions but it doesn’t need to be that way! Have a listen to my podcast to learn my 7 proven tips on how to achieve your New Year’s resolutions that can not only help you achieve your goals, but enjoy the process of achieving them. <h2>How to achieve your New Year’s Resolutions and avoid another year of failure</h2>		 We have an ongoing narrative in the Health, Fitness and Wellness industry in regard to New Year’s Resolutions. Many people set them, yet each year, many of us give up before we have seen any real results. Understanding what we need to have in place to set ourselves up for success is crucial to the success of any goal and understanding why we fail can ensure we don’t ever make these common mistakes again. As well as this podcast, make sure you read my article on <a href="https://www.nantnissen.com/optimal-health-wellness/why-new-years-resolutions-fail/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">The Top 7 reasons why New Year’s Resolutions fail</a> and avoid becoming another statistic!

How to achieve your new years resolutions

Mark Aiston

Nant Nissen on Drive with Mark Aiston 1 Nov 2021 On this week’s show, Nant talks to Mark about stress and the impact it has on us in all areas of life. So many of us experience low-level stress and are so used to it, that we now don’t even recognise the signs our body gives us. Learning these signs is the first step to helping you get back to your natural state of health. In this interview with Mark Aiston, Nant Nissen provides you with 3 great tips to help you with your stress and some daily actions &amp; steps that are easy and achievable for anyone to use.  Listen to more Thrive for Men Podcast’s with Nant Nissen &gt; 

<h2>Nant Nissen on Drive with Mark Aiston 1 Nov 2021</h2> On this week’s show, Nant talks to Mark about stress and the impact it has on us in all areas of life. So many of us experience low-level stress and are so used to it, that we now don’t even recognise the signs our body gives us. Learning these signs is the first step to helping you get back to your natural state of health. In this interview with Mark Aiston, Nant Nissen provides you with 3 great tips to help you with your stress and some daily actions &amp; steps that are easy and achievable for anyone to use.  <a href="https://www.nantnissen.com/category/podcasts/thrive-for-men-podcast/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Listen to more Thrive for Men Podcast’s with Nant Nissen &gt;</a>

Drive with Mark Aiston 1 Nov 2021 - Stress!

Oh my goodness, look at me!  Look what’s in my fridge…. Look at what I eat in a day! Look, look!!!!!!!  Please STOP  watching Instagram and Tik Tok videos about “look what I eat in a day” “look what’s in my fridge “! Other than me needing to go shopping, there is nothing you need to know about my fridge or what I eat in a day. What I eat has nothing to do with what you need to be eating to be your best and of optimal health! There is nothing like knowing and understanding what your body needs, wants and when!  To be able to listen to the signs, signals and symptoms your body sends and knowing how to respond to them. Your body, like mine, needs different things depending upon many things. Here are a few examples on why you shouldn’t care about what others are eating: Are you digesting, absorbing, and assimilating nutrients properly?Are you more or less stressed today, physically, mentally and emotionally?How is your quality and quantity of sleep? How are your close relationships?Have you been more or less active lately? Have you been drinking more soft drink, alcohol or coffee for example?  This may indicate nutrients not being absorbed into the body.  Do you have any chronic underlying illness?Do you have headaches, pains, etc?Are you on medication?Have you been travelling? (Probably not lately).  The point is, it doesn’t matter what other people have in a day, it only matters what you need in a day to be your best and have optimal health.  Fortunately, this is a skill to be taught.   Subscribe to my newsletter or podcast to learn more! 

Oh my goodness, look at me! Look what’s in my fridge…. Look at what I eat in a day! Look, look!!!!!!! Please STOP watching Instagram and Tik Tok videos about “look what I eat in a day” “look what’s in my fridge “! Other than me needing to go shopping, there is nothing you need to know about my fridge or what I eat in a day. What I eat has nothing to do with what you need to be eating to be your best and of optimal health! There is nothing like knowing and understanding what your body needs, wants and when! To be able to listen to the signs, signals and symptoms your body sends and knowing how to respond to them. Your body, like mine, needs different things depending upon many things. Here are a few examples on why you shouldn’t care about what others are eating: <ul><li>Are you digesting, absorbing, and assimilating nutrients properly?</li><li>Are you more or less stressed today, physically, mentally and emotionally?</li><li>How is your quality and quantity of sleep? </li><li>How are your close relationships?</li><li>Have you been more or less active lately? </li><li>Have you been drinking more soft drink, alcohol or coffee for example? </li></ul> This may indicate nutrients not being absorbed into the body. <ul><li>Do you have any chronic underlying illness?</li><li>Do you have headaches, pains, etc?</li><li>Are you on medication?</li><li>Have you been travelling? (Probably not lately). </li></ul> The point is, it doesn’t matter what other people have in a day, it only matters what you need in a day to be your best and have optimal health. Fortunately, this is a skill to be taught. Subscribe to my newsletter or podcast to learn more!

Who cares what other people are eating

We know and get taught all the time, that what we put into our body is crucial to our health. But how often are we educated on how we put food and drink into our bodies also matters? Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference, although we often think otherwise. We disregard small changes as something that won’t impact our health, while these small changes may be the very thing that creates a great change in our body. 3 Tips on How to Upgrade Your Eating Habits  Here are my 3 tips to upgrade your eating habits to improve your overall health and wellness.  1 -Eating slowly is crucial to help digestion.  Time yourself and see how long it actually takes to eat a main meal. Lunch or dinner is often the best.  If it is under 5 minutes, it’s time to increase that, eat more slowly and take the time to actually digest your food properly. 2 -Be mindful and involve the entire eating experience.  The digestive experience actually starts in the brain.  Have you ever seen food and your mouth has watered? Thought of a food and got a craving straight away? It starts with the mind, so we need to take a look at our plate, does it look appetising?  Does it look like you put in effort? Does it smell good?  Notice how it tastes, the textures, how it feels as you eat it, how the foods combine and taste together.  How do you feel as you eat? Do you really enjoy the food? Does it energise you? 3 -Make sure when you eat, you give yourself time to be in a positive space.  In this way we mean be in a happy place, be with people who make you feel good, be relaxed and as stress-free as possible to aid digestion.  How we eat is just as important as what we eat. A few changes to your eating habits can help in so many ways.

We know and get taught all the time, that <a href="https://www.nantnissen.com/optimal-nutrition/3-basic-principles-of-optimal-nutrition/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">what we put into our body</a> is crucial to our health. But how often are we educated on how we put food and drink into our bodies also matters? Sometimes the smallest things make the biggest difference, although we often think otherwise. We disregard small changes as something that won’t impact our health, while these small changes may be the very thing that creates a great change in our body. <h2>3 Tips on How to Upgrade Your Eating Habits </h2> Here are my 3 tips to upgrade your eating habits to improve your overall health and wellness. <h3>1 -Eating slowly is crucial to help digestion. </h3> Time yourself and see how long it actually takes to eat a main meal. Lunch or dinner is often the best. If it is under 5 minutes, it’s time to increase that, eat more slowly and take the time to actually digest your food properly. <h3>2 -Be mindful and involve the entire eating experience. </h3> The digestive experience actually starts in the brain. <ul><li>Have you ever seen food and your mouth has watered? </li><li>Thought of a food and got a craving straight away?</li></ul> It starts with the mind, so we need to take a look at our plate, does it look appetising? <ul><li>Does it look like you put in effort? </li><li>Does it smell good? </li></ul> Notice how it tastes, the textures, how it feels as you eat it, how the foods combine and taste together. <ul><li>How do you feel as you eat? </li><li>Do you really enjoy the food? </li><li>Does it energise you?</li></ul> <h3>3 -Make sure when you eat, you give yourself time to be in a positive space. </h3> In this way we mean be in a happy place, be with people who make you feel good, be relaxed and as stress-free as possible to aid digestion.  How we eat is just as important as what we eat. A few changes to your eating habits can help in so many ways.

Changing your eating habits

Injuries happen to us all.  What matters of course is how we set ourselves up while we are healing.  Use these three tips for dealing with injuries to make sure you stay in a routine, you are able to deal with the emotional and mental response that invariably comes up with an injury and learn how injuries can often be a time to be more vulnerable with those around us.  If we treat injuries the right way, with a plan of action and understand the value they can bring to our life, there is no need to be taken off track and to indulge in behaviours that do not serve us in any positive way. 3 Tips for Dealing with Injuries 1. Acknowledge Acknowledge the physical, mental and emotional components of the injury. Name, process and move through these emotions so you don’t get stuck in them. 2. Plan for the Frustrations Strategise and plan for any frustrations that may be coming up. No matter how small, without an action plan, things can get on top of us. 3. Get the right help Make sure you ask for help. Have an accountability buddy, let others know what you need and the help you require. You may be surprised at the growth of your relationships due to reaching out and asking for help.  Having a plan to serve you while injured will keep you on track and ensure a greater understanding of your body and what really happens when injured, no matter how small that injury is.  Follow these steps for an easier time while healing!

Injuries happen to us all. What matters of course is how we set ourselves up while we are healing. Use these three tips for dealing with injuries to make sure you stay in a routine, you are able to deal with the emotional and mental response that invariably comes up with an injury and learn how injuries can often be a time to be more vulnerable with those around us. If we treat injuries the right way, with a plan of action and understand the value they can bring to our life, there is no need to be taken off track and to indulge in behaviours that do not serve us in any positive way. <h2>3 Tips for Dealing with Injuries</h2> <h3>1. Acknowledge</h3> Acknowledge the physical, mental and emotional components of the injury. Name, process and move through these emotions so you don’t get stuck in them. <h3>2. Plan for the Frustrations</h3> Strategise and plan for any frustrations that may be coming up. No matter how small, without an action plan, things can get on top of us. <h3>3. Get the right help</h3> Make sure you ask for help. Have an accountability buddy, let others know what you need and the help you require. You may be surprised at the growth of your relationships due to reaching out and asking for help.  Having a plan to serve you while injured will keep you on track and ensure a greater understanding of your body and what really happens when injured, no matter how small that injury is.  Follow these steps for an easier time while healing!

Dealing with Injuries

Obesity is an epidemic that we can no longer ignore. No matter what area of health you practice, we now all being impacted by obesity, whether on a community, social or personal level.  Stopping combining the narrative of body shaming and the connection to obesity is one of the first steps to change. Realising that health is our number one priority, our most vital asset and the impact obesity is having on our lives and those around us is crucial for our overall success in winning on the health front.  Obesity is creating an enormous amount of chronic and preventable illnesses. It is at the forefront of numerous health issues, yet we are still not creating a safe, non-judgemental and holistic space for our community to be educated, guided and supported into different ways of approaching health! What we are doing at the moment is not working and we have an obesity epidemic that’s getting worse!  WE need to change and we need to come together from all medical fronts and change it now!  This is my first podcast in a series about the obesity epidemic and what we need to do to change this in a long term and sustainable way!

Obesity is an epidemic that we can no longer ignore. No matter what area of health you practice, we now all being impacted by obesity, whether on a community, social or personal level. Stopping combining the narrative of body shaming and the connection to obesity is one of the first steps to change. Realising that health is our number one priority, our most vital asset and the impact obesity is having on our lives and those around us is crucial for our overall success in winning on the health front. Obesity is creating an enormous amount of chronic and preventable illnesses. It is at the forefront of numerous health issues, yet we are still not creating a safe, non-judgemental and holistic space for our community to be educated, guided and supported into different ways of approaching health! What we are doing at the moment is not working and we have an obesity epidemic that’s getting worse! WE need to change and we need to come together from all medical fronts and change it now! This is my first podcast in a series about the obesity epidemic and what we need to do to change this in a long term and sustainable way!

Obesity and what we’re not saying

Whether it be working with a trusted professional or understanding your body and becoming curious, we know that measurements are a great way to understand where we are and how to move forward. And awareness is the first step to change! Measurements and listening to your body Using measuring tools, having our regular checks, knowing our body and taking responsibility for our health is vital for us achieving optimal health and living a quality life. Regular checks, no matter how much we dislike them, knowing our body and understanding our signs, signals and symptoms is the first step into being empowered in ourselves and our health! 

Whether it be working with a trusted professional or understanding your body and becoming curious, we know that measurements are a great way to understand where we are and how to move forward. And awareness is the first step to change! <h2>Measurements and listening to your body</h2> Using measuring tools, having our regular checks, knowing our body and taking responsibility for our health is vital for us achieving optimal health and living a quality life. Regular checks, no matter how much we dislike them, knowing our body and understanding our signs, signals and symptoms is the first step into being empowered in ourselves and our health!

Measurements and listening to your body

Emotional eating is not about food. We have certainly been taught that food is the problem, however, food is just a symptom of the problem.  Noticing what feelings arise when a bag of chips has been eaten or you find yourself at the fridge for the 5th time that night goes a long way to understanding your triggers and moving towards releasing emotional eating and any negative relationship you have with food.  Knowing there are no good and bad foods, there is no judgement and no issue with willpower will set you free from the negative talk so often sold to us around emotional eating. Take the first step by listening to this podcast and become aware of some underlying causes!  Want to learn more about losing weight? Read my articles with more great tips &gt; 

Emotional eating is not about food. We have certainly been taught that food is the problem, however, food is just a symptom of the problem.  Noticing what feelings arise when a bag of chips has been eaten or you find yourself at the fridge for the 5th time that night goes a long way to understanding your triggers and moving towards releasing emotional eating and any negative relationship you have with food.  Knowing there are no good and bad foods, there is no judgement and no issue with willpower will set you free from the negative talk so often sold to us around emotional eating. Take the first step by listening to this podcast and become aware of some underlying causes!  Want to learn more about losing weight? <a href="https://www.nantnissen.com/category/weight-loss/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">Read my articles with more great tips &gt; </a>

Emotional Eating

Using the lockdown as an excuse While lockdown is incredibly challenging and has created many challenges for us, we really need to ensure we are making the most of this time. Different challenges present themselves as we are isolated, as our children are homeschooled, as we work from home, as we face uncertainty and lack of freedom. We have given ourselves reasons as to why we have not yet been able to take action on things we want. It’s too hard to exercise in the mornings, when we have to travel an hour each way to work. Now while it is also challenging to have children not going to school, there is an opportunity to perhaps involve them in a walk, in-home workouts, in dancing around the house for 15 minutes.  While we have different challenges during lockdown, it is a great opportunity to create those habits that we have previously felt we couldn’t.  To use the time to help ourselves feel better. Feeling isolated is a very real issue in our society. at this time, more than ever.  Getting out and being around others (while keeping your 1.5 metre distance and wearing a mask of course) will help you feel more connected.  Don’t look at your phone, be involved in your surroundings and notice how much less isolated you feel. A walk in the sun will do more for our mental health than a beer at night times a thousand!  Take this time to reflect on what you really want and put in action steps each day to progress towards them. While it’s a challenging time, there is so much we can do to help ourselves and each other. 

<h2>Using the lockdown as an excuse</h2> While lockdown is incredibly challenging and has created many challenges for us, we really need to ensure we are making the most of this time. Different challenges present themselves as we are isolated, as our children are homeschooled, as we work from home, as we face uncertainty and lack of freedom. We have given ourselves reasons as to why we have not yet been able to take action on things we want. It’s too hard to exercise in the mornings, when we have to travel an hour each way to work. Now while it is also challenging to have children not going to school, there is an opportunity to perhaps involve them in a walk, in-home workouts, in dancing around the house for 15 minutes.  While we have different challenges during lockdown, it is a great opportunity to create those habits that we have previously felt we couldn’t. To use the time to help ourselves feel better. Feeling isolated is a very real issue in our society. at this time, more than ever.  Getting out and being around others (while keeping your 1.5 metre distance and wearing a mask of course) will help you feel more connected. Don’t look at your phone, be involved in your surroundings and notice how much less isolated you feel. A walk in the sun will do more for our mental health than a beer at night times a thousand!  Take this time to reflect on what you really want and put in action steps each day to progress towards them. While it’s a challenging time, there is so much we can do to help ourselves and each other.

Lockdown excuses

Healthy Living Unplugged is hosted by Nant Nissen, a global health and wellness expert renowned for her no-nonsense approach to helping people achieve their optimal health and wellbeing.

3 Tips for getting some quality sleep every night So few of us regularly experience great quality and sufficient quantity of sleep so there has never been a better time to learn 3 tips for quality sleep!  It is thought that as some time through our lives at least 80% of us will experience some sort of sleeping issue.  While there are hundreds of things we can do to help ourselves get quality and quantity sleep, here are 3 to get you started. 3 Tips for Quality Sleep that work In this episode of the Healthy Living Unplugged podcast, I share 3 tips for quality sleep that actually work. Want more tips? Check out my other articles on how to improve your sleep &gt; 1. Fix the Lighting We need to let our mind know that it’s time for sleep, so make sure your room at night is dark and comfortable. In saying this it is also vital that we have a room that lets in the morning light. These are important signals to our brain to produce chemicals that help us to sleep. Darkness at night tells us it’s time to be tired and to sleep and waking to light in the morning to tell our mind that it’s time to wake up and to be alert.  2. Get your bedroom in order Make sure your bedroom or the room in which you sleep is clean, tidy, free of mess and somewhere you find comforting, pleasurable and safe. Having a place to feel relaxed is so crucial to a great night’s sleep. This is something we can provide for ourselves and our partner each day. Make your room somewhere that you enjoy being in and one that is conducive to rest, recovery and relaxation. 3. Put down the devices Our overuse of devices has been incredibly detrimental to our health in numerous ways. While technology and the internet have proven to be life-changing in many ways, this is both negative and positive. The longer we do not use devices prior to bed the better, however, we do need to be realistic with our lifestyles now. So the final of my 3 tips for quality sleep is to put your devices down at least 30 minutes prior to bed. This will give your mind at least a little time to prepare for sleep. Listen to music, read, dim the lights and prepare for sleep. Even those with screens to protect from blue light and screens that do this and that, we still need to give our mind time to slow down and switch off. How can we possibly expect to sleep well and complain that our mind is always going, when we actually keep it going right up until we fall asleep? It makes no sense! In all, we need to provide an environment in which we can have quality and quantity sleep. If we are not contributing to our sleep cycle in a positive way, don’t expect a quality sleep and the benefits that come with that. 

<h2>3 Tips for getting some quality sleep every night</h2> So few of us regularly experience great quality and sufficient quantity of sleep so there has never been a better time to learn 3 tips for quality sleep!  It is thought that as some time through our lives at least <a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/newsletter_article/sleep-and-mental-health" rel="noopener nofollow" target="_blank">80% of us will experience some sort of sleeping issue</a>.  While there are hundreds of things we can do to help ourselves get quality and quantity sleep, here are 3 to get you started. <h3>3 Tips for Quality Sleep that work</h3> In this episode of the Healthy Living Unplugged podcast, I share 3 tips for quality sleep that actually work. Want more tips? Check out my other articles on <a href="https://www.nantnissen.com/category/better-sleep/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">how to improve your sleep &gt;</a> <h4>1. Fix the Lighting</h4> We need to let our mind know that it’s time for sleep, so make sure your room at night is dark and comfortable. In saying this it is also vital that we have a room that lets in the morning light. These are important signals to our brain to produce chemicals that help us to sleep. Darkness at night tells us it’s time to be tired and to sleep and waking to light in the morning to tell our mind that it’s time to wake up and to be alert.  <h4>2. Get your bedroom in order</h4> Make sure your bedroom or the room in which you sleep is clean, tidy, free of mess and somewhere you find comforting, pleasurable and safe. Having a place to feel relaxed is so crucial to a great night’s sleep. This is something we can provide for ourselves and our partner each day. Make your room somewhere that you enjoy being in and one that is conducive to rest, recovery and relaxation. <h4>3. Put down the devices</h4> Our overuse of devices has been incredibly detrimental to our health in numerous ways. While technology and the internet have proven to be life-changing in many ways, this is both negative and positive. The longer we do not use devices prior to bed the better, however, we do need to be realistic with our lifestyles now. So the final of my 3 tips for quality sleep is to put your devices down at least 30 minutes prior to bed. This will give your mind at least a little time to prepare for sleep. Listen to music, read, dim the lights and prepare for sleep. Even those with screens to protect from blue light and screens that do this and that, we still need to give our mind time to slow down and switch off. How can we possibly expect to sleep well and complain that our mind is always going, when we actually keep it going right up until we fall asleep? It makes no sense! In all, we need to provide an environment in which we can have quality and quantity sleep. If we are not contributing to our sleep cycle in a positive way, don’t expect a quality sleep and the benefits that come with that.

3 Tips for Quality Sleep

Why staying in your own lane can help you and those around you Staying in your own lane works both ways. We need to give each other the space to change and be the best version of ourselves and we need to set boundaries for those around us who may have resistance to us changing, while understanding the real reasons behind it.  Many people close to us attempt to stop us from making positive changes for a number of reasons, and most do it subconsciously. Even those who love us dearly do this, often without being completely aware. Sometimes this is because those closest to us (such as a partner) feel threatened. They believe that if things change, if you change, you may not want them anymore, the relationship may change, you may want to be with someone else if you are a different version of yourself.  (Humans don’t like change, even though we thrive after it, an interesting dichotomy.) These feelings are valid and real and the best thing we can do is reassure them of just how much we love them. It’s not a personal attack on us, it’s a desire for them not to be hurt.  Use this as an opportunity to love more deeply in your relationship and open communication. Often this leads to the partner getting “on board” with your goals, being part of them and being your biggest fan, as they always were.  This is a great opportunity for you to talk with your partner about your goals, the changes you wish to make, why you wish to make them, how they can help you and to make sure you understand their needs and how you can ensure they feel as secure as they deserve to feel.  Another way this can happen is with partners, family or close friends. Agan often subconsciously, those closest to us see our change and our ability to change as an offence to them.  Deep down this is an insecurity that while they are happy for you, it also shows some deep seated insecurities they have of themselves.  Perhaps what you are doing is something they have wanted to do but they never have. Perhaps what you are doing is something they have attempted but didn’t follow through. Perhaps they want to make the changes and may need to, but don’t want to put in the effort. You actually doing it shows them their excuses are simply that, excuses! Perhaps they also feel if you change, the relationship will change and you won’t want to see them as much or won’t have as much to talk about, not as much in common.  Have a real conversation with the important people in your life and let them know the changes you are making are important to you and why. Let them know their behaviour is impacting you and your relationship.  Set boundaries if you need to and while creating a space for them to feel safe, let them know you being the best version of yourself will only serve to make you happy, ensuring a better relationship for everyone. That you would love their support, however if they feel they cannot do that, that’s ok with you, you will stay in your lane and do it anyway.  Sometimes partners,family and friends do this due to them reflecting their beliefs upon us in an effort to protect us. They don’t wish to see us hurt and the reason they have not achieved what they have wanted out of life is based on fear.  They have a set of beliefs and patterns that suggest things cannot be done, it’s too scary, they are not enough and so on. To make changes we cannot take on the negative belief of others, no matter how well intentioned.  They may be trying to help keep us safe, however this again is a perfect opportunity to have a real conversation about what is important to us and what boundaries you need to set.  This doesn’t mean you won’t see these people, it may mean however that you let them know they don’t need to agree with what you are doing, but if they cannot support you or if the topic brings up continual negative comments from them, then it’s a conversation you simply won’t have with them.  We don’t need to agree with each other, what an incredibly boring world that would be, we do need to respect each other’s life choices though, especially if the choices we make are positively impacting us and taking us further towards our goals.  Rarely, we see those close to us, simply not wanting us to better ourselves. Simply because of poor patterning in themselves, a control type of relationship or other negative traits. I find this to be rare, however if you do experience this, it’s incredibly important to distance yourself from those who genuinely don’t want the best for you.  One of the other components are those who are not overly close to us, but who have an opinion about everything and everyone. It’s important to recognise most often, these people are also not coming from a  bad place, but are simply reflecting upon us their own set of limitations and negative beliefs. For these people, again, stay in your lane, thank them for their opinion, set and forget. Staying in our own lane is incredibly important when we decide to make changes that will impact our lives. Changes that mean we become a better version of ourselves.  Understand that others close to you want the best for you, but in their desire to keep you close, may not be as supportive as you would like. A real conversation that does not involve conflict and understands that they simply want reassurance, love and understanding will go a long way to furthering any relationship and then returning that with support and love for you and your new choices.  In understanding the above scenarios, we can see any resistance to our change is not personal. Our only job is to ensure our intent is pure, we honour ourselves and we make the effort for those around us to feel safe and loved in these changes. Once people feel secure, very often their behaviour changes and we find our biggest supporters.  My belief is that we should be able to do whatever we want in life, as long as it does not hurt or harm anyone else, we need to be living our dreams and taking actions towards that. This is what staying in your lane means.  Do what you choose and allow others to do the same. In doing that we attract the right people for us, those who lift us, those we can lift and those who are like minded.  Stay in your lane.  Understanding why those around us may be doing what they are, takes the pressure off, allows us to remove doubt that comes from negative talk and reminds us, it’s not about us!

<h2>Why staying in your own lane can help you and those around you</h2> Staying in your own lane works both ways. We need to give each other the space to change and be the best version of ourselves and we need to set boundaries for those around us who may have resistance to us changing, while understanding the real reasons behind it.  Many people close to us attempt to stop us from making positive changes for a number of reasons, and most do it subconsciously. Even those who love us dearly do this, often without being completely aware. Sometimes this is because those closest to us (such as a partner) feel threatened. They believe that if things change, if you change, you may not want them anymore, the relationship may change, you may want to be with someone else if you are a different version of yourself.  (Humans don’t like change, even though we thrive after it, an interesting dichotomy.) These feelings are valid and real and the best thing we can do is reassure them of just how much we love them. It’s not a personal attack on us, it’s a desire for them not to be hurt. Use this as an opportunity to love more deeply in your relationship and open communication. Often this leads to the partner getting “on board” with your goals, being part of them and being your biggest fan, as they always were. This is a great opportunity for you to talk with your partner about your goals, the changes you wish to make, why you wish to make them, how they can help you and to make sure you understand their needs and how you can ensure they feel as secure as they deserve to feel.  Another way this can happen is with partners, family or close friends. Agan often subconsciously, those closest to us see our change and our ability to change as an offence to them. Deep down this is an insecurity that while they are happy for you, it also shows some deep seated insecurities they have of themselves. <ul><li>Perhaps what you are doing is something they have wanted to do but they never have. </li><li>Perhaps what you are doing is something they have attempted but didn’t follow through. </li><li>Perhaps they want to make the changes and may need to, but don’t want to put in the effort. You actually doing it shows them their excuses are simply that, excuses! </li><li>Perhaps they also feel if you change, the relationship will change and you won’t want to see them as much or won’t have as much to talk about, not as much in common. </li></ul> Have a real conversation with the important people in your life and let them know the changes you are making are important to you and why. Let them know their behaviour is impacting you and your relationship. Set boundaries if you need to and while creating a space for them to feel safe, let them know you being the best version of yourself will only serve to make you happy, ensuring a better relationship for everyone. That you would love their support, however if they feel they cannot do that, that’s ok with you, you will stay in your lane and do it anyway.  Sometimes partners,family and friends do this due to them reflecting their beliefs upon us in an effort to protect us. They don’t wish to see us hurt and the reason they have not achieved what they have wanted out of life is based on fear. They have a set of beliefs and patterns that suggest things cannot be done, it’s too scary, they are not enough and so on. To make changes we cannot take on the negative belief of others, no matter how well intentioned. They may be trying to help keep us safe, however this again is a perfect opportunity to have a real conversation about what is important to us and what boundaries you need to set. This doesn’t mean you won’t see these people, it may mean however that you let them know they don’t need to agree with what you are doing, but if they cannot support you or if the topic brings up continual negative comments from them, then it’s a conversation you simply won’t have with them. We don’t need to agree with each other, what an incredibly boring world that would be, we do need to respect each other’s life choices though, especially if the choices we make are positively impacting us and taking us further towards our goals.  Rarely, we see those close to us, simply not wanting us to better ourselves. Simply because of poor patterning in themselves, a control type of relationship or other negative traits. I find this to be rare, however if you do experience this, it’s incredibly important to distance yourself from those who genuinely don’t want the best for you.  One of the other components are those who are not overly close to us, but who have an opinion about everything and everyone. It’s important to recognise most often, these people are also not coming from a  bad place, but are simply reflecting upon us their own set of limitations and negative beliefs. For these people, again, stay in your lane, thank them for their opinion, set and forget. Staying in our own lane is incredibly important when we decide to make changes that will impact our lives. Changes that mean we become a better version of ourselves. Understand that others close to you want the best for you, but in their desire to keep you close, may not be as supportive as you would like. A real conversation that does not involve conflict and understands that they simply want reassurance, love and understanding will go a long way to furthering any relationship and then returning that with support and love for you and your new choices.  In understanding the above scenarios, we can see any resistance to our change is not personal. Our only job is to ensure our intent is pure, we honour ourselves and we make the effort for those around us to feel safe and loved in these changes. Once people feel secure, very often their behaviour changes and we find our biggest supporters.  My belief is that we should be able to do whatever we want in life, as long as it does not hurt or harm anyone else, we need to be living our dreams and taking actions towards that. This is what staying in your lane means. Do what you choose and allow others to do the same. In doing that we attract the right people for us, those who lift us, those we can lift and those who are like minded. Stay in your lane. Understanding why those around us may be doing what they are, takes the pressure off, allows us to remove doubt that comes from negative talk and reminds us, it’s not about us!

Staying in your Own Lane

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