How to Start Your Health Goals When You Feel Overwhelmed

Do you want to improve your health and lose weight but struggle with getting started? Does the goal number on the scale intimidate you? Do you know you want to make significant lifestyle changes but can't figure out how? Lord, me too.

Break down health goals into manageable steps

I have ADHD and tend to struggle with depression and anxiety. Because of my "neurospiciness," I often feel overwhelmed trying to get started on tasks, let alone making any big life changes. However, there are several things I've discovered about myself and tricks I've learned for coping that have helped me get past the feeling of paralysis when I'm overwhelmed. Admittedly, it still happens sometimes. I'm human, and even though, I can manage for the most part, there are times when I still struggle to cope just like anyone else.

One of the things I've learned to do is take a task that seems too big and break it into smaller, more manageable pieces. As my husband says, "How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time." You can't expect to be able to take on that huge task all in one go. So, instead of telling myself to just clean the kitchen, I break down the individual tasks needed to complete the room.

Find dopamine triggers to kickstart lifestyle changes

Even still, sometimes getting started is hard. I usually have to find some sort of dopamine trigger in each task. I write out my to-do lists, and as I tick things off the list, I get that sense of accomplishment that makes my brain happy. Or I'll set a timer for 30 minutes and tell myself that if I just do 30 minutes, then I'll be good to go. Usually, once I'm up and moving, I'm able to keep going until most of the job is complete. But you know what? I still consider it an achievement if I only get those 30 minutes done that day.

Another thing I've learned to do is give myself some grace. Doing my best looks different every day. So, I can't judge myself based on what I was able to do yesterday. Rather, I look at this new day as another fresh start to aim for my health goals.

Define what improving health looks like

When I decided it was time to get healthier, I took my "get healthier" task and broke it into smaller, more manageable lifestyle changes. This was essential for setting achievable weight loss goals. My big health goals became simpler daily actions like “eat foods that fuel the body, weigh out my portions, get up from my desk and start moving more during the day, and start exercising." Then, I would work on one thing, and once I felt I had that pretty well figured out, I would start on the next task.

Shift your mindset and use rewards effectively

One of the hardest things for me is self-discipline. I had to implement a reward system for myself to help release the dopamine my ADHD brain requires. But I changed how I thought of rewards, too. Instead of saying if I do this thing, I'll let myself eat extra cake, I would reward myself by taking some self-care time. I stopped allowing food to be a reward because I know myself well enough that if I give in to one piece of cake, I'll justify eating the whole dang cake.

I really had to use this desire to reach my health goals as a way to shift my mindset. It takes practice, and some days, I still fall into old habits, but overall, shifting my thought process from food as a reward to food as fuel really helped me change how I ate. But I wasn't able to do it all in one big chunk. Remember that elephant? Yeah, I had to break it down into individual bites and slowly work through the lifestyle changes I felt I needed to successfully improve my health.

Remember to take it one step at a time. Put one foot in front of the other and keep treading along, even when it seems like you are not making the progress you expect. Progress is still progress, no matter how small or slow it appears to be. You can do this, my friends, I promise.