62 - Mind Zoning®: Taking a Break From Alcohol

Fitlandia | Fitness for Your Mind

Episode 62 - It’s Easy to Take a Break from Alcohol Mind Zoning®

As the holidays roll in we’re granted with an abundance of joys, more time off work, a shift in the seasons and time with family and friends. This for many of us, also includes an overload of comfort foods, sweet treats we’ve adored since childhood and social events surrounded by alcohol. Christa shares she’s been indulging in more alcohol than she’d like to with the stresses and celebrations surrounding the launch of her new book, Strategic Vitality: 11 Small Steps to a Big Transformation.

She explains coming off an amazing high after her book launch party which occurred last Saturday, excited that she could continue to share her story, her struggles and how she works on overcoming them. Christa has always been very open with her listeners about her love for wine and donuts, and is proud to bring more awareness about how common our reliance on sugar, refined carbs and alcohol truly is.

If you have a tendency to relay on booze, Christa challenges you this holiday season to take a break from the spirited beverages alongside of her and husband AJ, as they start a six month sober stretch starting January 1st. With a community backing you up for support and guidance, we will work through the fears and discomfort as we create new, healthier habits and bring on the dreaded social settings, knowing it’s an easy choice to be sober. We know this task can be hard, maybe even unimaginable so we created this Mind Zoning® to make it all a little bit easier throughout the process.

Make sure to find a quiet, comfortable space where you’re not driving or distracted

Sit or lay down, however your body feels most relaxed

Start by taking a few deep breaths in through the nose and exhaling through your mouth

Allowing every inhale to refresh and clear your mind

And with every exhale giving you the ability to release any stress or tension

Let go

Be present here

Allow yourself the opportunity to relax

If you have other thoughts imagine there’s a cloud floating by you can put them on

Trusting that they’ll come back to you when you them need to

Let your mind focus on taking a break from alcohol

We’ll start with a question to ask the deepest part of your mind

Why?

Why are you considering taking a break from alcohol?

Think about all the reasons you want to take a break

Let it all bubble up in your mind now

Maybe you notice it can be a crutch from stress and you want to find healthier ways to manage it

Maybe it’s preventing you from reaching your greatest level of health and wellness

Maybe you notice you don’t like the way you feel the next morning

Maybe you want to invite more focus, greater productivity and all the things that come with taking a break from alcohol into your life

Now for a moment think about all the cons when taking a break from alcohol

Maybe there’s fears

Or concerns

Allow yourself with full honesty to think about all the reasons you wouldn’t want to take a break from alcohol

Are you afraid that social setting will be challenging?

Are you feeling a sense of deprivation that you can’t just eat and drink what you want?

Are you worried about being bound by rules?

Are you just afraid that your relationship with it is so strong that you couldn’t?

Think about all the things that have prevented you from taking a break from alcohol previously

Calling all those cons and all the pros

Imagine the two lists

Do you notice one is longer than the other?

Which one is it?

Studying your pros and cons list, what have you determined what you might want to do?

Are you okay with things just as they are?

Or, are you seeking change?

Are you seeking to connect with an even healthier version of you?

Connecting with that powerful part of you

That wants to connect with all the pros that come with taking a break

Whatever you decide is perfect

And you can decide that right now

If you’ve decided you’d like to take a break from alcohol

Think of how long you’d like to do this

Is it one day?

one week?

a month?

Is it forever?

Ask yourself, what is your deepest desire?

Go ahead and lay down that timeframe

Commit to that in your mind

Whatever is right for you

We Invite you to find strategies that will support you in taking a break for the length of time you’ve chosen

What do you need in place in your life to be successful to take a break from alcohol?

As you continue to think of all the resources to support you

Maybe it’s an accountability group?

Or having conversations with your partner, or friends and family asking them for support?

Maybe journaling your emotions everyday would help you?

Or having a really strong exercise and meditation practice can help calm your mind and ease any stress

Trust that you know the strategies that are perfect for you

Continue to think of those right now

Now for a moment think about the times you want alcohol

Maybe it’s at night or during dinner?

At parties or in social settings?

Think about a healthy replacement you can enjoy in these moments while attaching the same benefit to it

Maybe sparkling water with a splash of grapefruit juice

Or even a flavored mineral water

Or a nice warm tea

Think about something that you can enjoy that supports all the pros that you came up with

In this moment I want you to think about, is there anything else that you need that would help you be 100% successful in taking a break from alcohol?

In a moment we will come back to our day

And our thoughts

The pros and cons

The strategies

The excitement that comes with taking a break from alcohol

All the possibilities

Recall everything that came up during this session

As the days and weeks unfold, you may become even more excitement to take a break from alcohol

You might find it easier

Thinking of new ways to support yourself on this journey

Reaching out to the resources you need and putting plans in place

When you’re ready, come back to the space you’re in

We encourage you now, to write down all the things that came up today.

• What were the pros in taking a break from alcohol for you?
• What are the fears you have?
• What strategies did you come up with for support?
• How long are you abstaining from alcohol?
• What are the healthy replacements you can enjoy?

If you need further inspiration or resources, don’t hesitate and join us in the Fitlandia Facebook group! If you’re ready to not only give up alcohol but also create a new relationship with food, make sure you sign up for the 30 Days of Thriving! In this program we will fight the tough battle against our reliance of sugar, refined carbs and alcohol together. Christa explains this as a “beautiful time of awareness.”