Hey there. We all have that moment. You know the one. You catch a glimpse of yourself in the mirror and see the “old you.” You scroll through Instagram and compare your journey to someone else’s. You see their progress and suddenly yours feels like it’s not enough. That moment is familiar, and it hits hard.
But here’s the thing I’ve learned — that moment is also an opportunity. You can react emotionally, like I’ve done plenty of times before, or you can pause. Just for a second. Ask yourself, is this real?
If I see someone lost eight pounds in a week and I only lost two, I used to spiral. But now, I take a breath and remind myself of how bodies work. Water weight fluctuates. If you check their progress over time, you’ll likely see gains in previous weeks. It’s not always what it looks like.
If I see my reflection and it looks like the version of me from 80 pounds ago, I remind myself that it’s not accurate. That image is shaped by emotion, not fact. The truth is, we’re not always seeing ourselves clearly. Especially when emotions get involved.
You’re not a robot, so of course you’ll have emotional reactions. I do too. But I try to step back and ask, what’s actually going on? Is this real or is this my mind jumping to conclusions?
Sometimes we’re not even struggling. We’re just working. It’s hard, yes, but that doesn’t mean something is wrong. It just means we’re in the process.
When you’re feeling stuck or like you’re not making progress, shift your focus. Not in a fake positivity way. In a real, grounded way. Find something you’re doing well and focus on that. You don’t have to ignore the hard stuff, but you also don’t have to let it consume you.
If this resonates with you and you want a space where we talk through things like this and build sustainable habits, I’d love for you to join The YLF Experience. We’re in this together, learning how to pause, reflect, and move forward.