“Well, what if there is no tomorrow? There wasn’t one today.”
— Phil Connors, Groundhog Day
I’m writing this on February 2nd (aka Groundhog Day here in the states).
I’m also watching the movie “Groundhog Day” starring Bill Murray.
For those poor unfortunate souls who have not seen the film, it’s the story of Phil Conners (Bill Murray), a weatherman who has to visit a small town in Pennsylvania to film a segment on whether or not Puxatawny Phil, the infamous groundhog, sees his shadow. If he does see his shadow, this signals six more weeks of winter (if he doesn’t see his shadow, early spring!).
Traditions sure are strange…
But, I digress. Back to our regularly scheduled program:
The movie turns comedic – and a little tragic – when Phil (the weatherman, not the groundhog), tucked into his cozy bed and breakfast, wakes up each morning over and over again only to discover it’s the same day – February 2nd, Groundhog Day.
He is forced to repeat this day until he gets it right.
When he realizes what is happening, Phil (who is a bit of a jerk) sees this as a golden opportunity to do whatever the hell he wants: punch an annoying classmate in the face, steal money out of the back of a truck, get a girl in bed, etc…. without having to suffer any consequences. Sounds like a perfect world!
He forces and pushes himself (and others) to the extreme to try to create outcomes in his favor.
Phil then realizes that while he can do anything he wants, he can’t get anything he truly wants.
He doesn’t control as much as he thought, despite most everything every day being pretty much the same over and over again. He starts thinking:
What if this never ends? What if I am doomed to repeat this day… forever?
Then, Phil wakes up one day (yep, still February 2nd for the bazillionth day in a row) and has an epiphany:
What if this never ends…?
If this cycle never ends, what can be done to make things the most… comfortable? Enjoyable? Not only for him, but for everyone around him?
How does one learn to live again, in this “new normal”? To have fun, to work, to play, despite the fact that tomorrow will never come?
All of this preamble is to say: I have seen many of my clients dealing with autoimmune disease have this same epiphany.
When dealing with chronic illness we can easily get mired in the details of outcomes. We strive for perfect health, we fight to get back to where we were when we weren’t sick.
Or we pretend that “well it doesn’t matter, I’m sick anyway, so I’m gonna keep doing XYZ, nothing’s ever gonna change”.
How does one learn to accept and live in a “new normal”, in a life that we didn’t necessarily sign up for?
Accepting “what is” sure is hard. But it’s also the key to regaining our health – and creating comfort and enjoyment again. Might not be exactly what we had planned, but, then again, what does ever turn out exactly as we plan?
What if everything were just as it should be, right here, right now?
To be clear, this is not about giving up. This is about acceptance and the ability to choose how you want to respond to your current circumstances, and pivot when the time is right.
After he accepted his current state of affairs, Phil eventually chose to be kind instead of his usual jerky shadowy self. Only then, after this acceptance and his being kind – not only to others but himself – did the day on the calendar finally change.
And he always had the power in him all along to make this choice.
What are your thoughts on acceptance and the power of choice? If any of this resonates with you, feel free to let me know.
Til next time,
Sandy
I would love to be a support to you if you are looking to make either big or little shifts in your life. As your coach, I will listen deeply, offer empathy, and help you make sense of what’s going on in your life right now. We can talk about anything that’s on your mind:
- accepting what is
- creating balance in your life
- working through emotions of grief, sadness, or loss
- helping you create structure in your life and a plan moving forward – whatever that may mean to you
- help you regain control if you are feeling out of control
- letting go of perfectionism when it comes to your health
- how best to manage stress and anxiety
- creating boundaries with family, friends, and co-workers
- giving yourself permission to just be – no matter where you are in your life.
To book your Complimentary “Meet & Greet” Session and Assessment, click here.
Sandy Swanson is a Certified Functional Health Coach (A-CFHC) and a National Board Certified Health and Wellness Coach (NBC-HWC). You can learn more about her here and more about what coaching is here.
PS: No, I did not take the photo above, and yes, it’s probably a yellow-bellied marmot, not a groundhog.
![In the coming days and weeks, I’ll be sharing some tips and tricks to help you get unstuck - no matter the circumstances of your stuck-ness.
This is the second in a series - if you missed the previous post, see my blog (link in bio).
Here’s the first tip:
Get in touch with your body.
Stop for a moment and check in. Where are you holding tension right now? Some common places we hold tension are:
the jaw
the neck
the gut
the shoulders
Or there might be pain somewhere, like a headache, backache, eyestrain/pain, etc.
I invite you to notice this pain or tension.
Be with it. Breathe into it. Relax into it.
Getting in touch with your body is a brilliant way of not only teaching yourself how to relax but also helps you to be present.
And becoming present creates S P A C E. And within that space there is an opportunity to see what is needed.
So: what is that physical symptom telling you that you need? Don’t overthink this!
SOMEthing usually comes up, like:
I need to rest
I need to let go of [XYZ]
I need to get outside
I need to exercise
I need a good cry (this happens often in real time during my coaching sessions!)
Once that need is met, some things might clear up. You might not get completely unstuck, but there is usually a shift that takes place or a relaxing that happens.
The pic of me is when I just woke up from a nap. I was working and feeling stuck.
I checked in and realized I was freaking exhausted. I needed rest, so closed my eyes for a few minutes before getting back to my computer.
You're not seeing the "before" photo, but trust me: what a difference a few minutes of rest make!
(and my hair always looks better after I sleep on it lol)
One thing to note:
Getting in touch with the physical body might be really REALLY hard for some people.
I invite you to be super gentle, and practice this technique with “nonjudgemental curiosity”, and let me know how it goes!
#stuck #struggle #stugglebus #rest #physical #tension #pain #tipstrickstools #swansoncoaching #lifecoach #holisticcoach #wellnesscoach](https://autoimmunenutritioncoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/05/435120410_964353791722252_2190116072632110028_n.jpg)
![Something I experience in my coaching sessions every day is seeing people who feel “stuck”.
Stuck in a job they don’t like.
Stuck after graduating from college, working their dream job, not knowing what’s next.
Stuck not knowing what to do now that the kids have left home.
Stuck in a relationship that is no longer serving them.
Stuck in not knowing what to do regarding that big decision looming over them.
Many times these clients say “I just need more tools in my life to figure this out, then I’ll be good”. They want “tips, tools, or tricks” to help them get unstuck.
In other words, they want information.
The thing is, there’s a sh*t-ton of information out there. Any answers we desire are at our fingertips thanks to the interwebs.
So why are we always so stuck?!
Information doesn’t help one get unstuck. It can be a starting point, but information alone will not get one unstuck.
Doing the [sometimes hard] inner work is what gets you unstuck.
Understanding yourself, your beliefs, your emotions, your body, how you think and act the way you do - and *why* you are doing any of it - including being stuck - is imperative to get unstuck.
And this is what coaching is all about. To help you better understand yourself so you can make different choices moving forward.
Over the coming days and weeks, I’m going to share with you some things I discuss with my clients in the first or second session to help them better understand themselves and how they move through this world.
This awareness helps them become UNstuck.
Yeah, they might be called “tips and tricks and tools”, and you can absolutely self-coach yourself using them. It is sometimes easier with a facilitator (e.g. a coach, therapist, or spiritual advisor), but if you are willing to go deep on your own and be honest with yourself, I invite you to play around with these techniques.
So stay tuned!
In the meantime:
Are you feeling stuck?
What has helped YOU get unstuck?
Would love to hear from you.
#stuck #struggle #strugglebus #lifecoach #holisticoach #tipstrickstools #swansoncoaching](https://autoimmunenutritioncoach.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/434572858_963909818433316_8140446297598528977_n.jpg)