I recently read a quote that resonated with me deeply:
The key is not to prioritize what’s on your schedule, but to schedule your priorities.
– Stephen Covey
Growing up – and well into my 20s – I was someone who glorified busy. Being busy made me feel important. It made me feel like I was productive and gave me a sense of achievement. Not only was this lifestyle a problem from a Christian perspective, it also wreaked havoc on my health, causing my autoimmune disease to flare up, leaving me in nearly debilitating pain daily.
It took a complete rehaul of my mindset to get back to good health: I had to stop filling up and prioritizing my schedule and start focusing on my real priorities and build my schedule around that. It’s easy to get sucked into routine and worry about the details of the day, without taking a step back and asking ourselves: Does this matter to me? Does it deserve the time and attention I’m giving to it?
How do we fix this?
Here are five of my favorite tips:
Remember Whose You Are
Our bodies are not our own. They are a gift – and a gift from the greatest Giver, at that! If He is entrusting us with something so beautiful and precious, we have a responsibility to care for it and treat it with kindness and respect.
Compare Your Priorities and Current Schedule
Write down your top priorities and compare it to your current schedule. Where are there incompatibilities? What changes can be made so that your priorities are better reflected by your schedule?
Plan Ahead
When do you typically find yourself “falling off the wagon”? If you’re like most people, it’s when you don’t plan. Planning may mean putting together a meal schedule for the week, or it may mean writing down potential obstacles you might face and how you plan to overcome them. (Planning ahead may also look like setting SMART goals.)
Be Held Accountable
Some people are perfectly able to hold themselves accountable… but most of us don’t work that way. Involving a friend, family member, or health coach can help you stay on track. Schedule check-in dates so that your goals stay top-of-mind.
Practice Gratitude
Focus on all the things your body is able to do already. The more we focus on the positive and what we can do, the more we begin to feel capable of continuing to make healthy choices. It also helps us to see the connection between prioritizing our health and the desirable outcomes (such as more energy, better sleep, a clearer mind, etc.) It also brings us back to tip #1, helping us to cherish our bodies and to give thanks to God for such a wonderful gift.
