See, I’m doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland ~Isaiah 43:19
Changing a habit is hard because the process causes a frenzy of internal stress. Our goal this week is to learn how to de-escalate and regulate our response to this type of tension. The best way to practice this is through a SELF Check.
The SELF Check is a simple self assessment tool: S-sensations, E-emotions, L-language, F-fears.
SENSATIONS:
These physical markers are often easiest to identify because they manifest inside the body—butterflies in your tummy, racing heartbeat, or a lump in your throat.
EMOTIONS:
This step requires vulnerability. What are you feeling? Call it out. Don’t judge it, embrace it. Study it. Let it tell the story you need to hear to understand more about yourself.
LANGUAGE:
Language or self-talk is the internal dialogue playing on loop during this heightened state of emotion. Negative self-talk is a self-defeating script that plays a dangerous shame and blame game. Own this language only long enough to confront and correct it. However, if it is not replaced by a more positive and productive affirmation, the old script will find its way back.
FEARS:
What fear fuels your habit? Looking weak. Stupid. Insecure. You name it and for all kinds of reasons we let fear make the final call. Determine the fear that is motivating the habit to continue and challenge it with truth.
Taking this SELF inventory allows you an opportunity to make a more informed decision. Knowing yourself better is a mindful practice and is useful in any situation that causes anxiety and stress. Learn this one and it will be a tool for life.
Be bold. Be brave. Be free.
Tell Me More:
- Practice the SELF check as much as you can this week.
- Notice what your body is telling you, how quickly your emotions rage within, what self-talk you hear, and any fears that consistently rise to the surface.
- Take your inventory to God and ask for wisdom to help you heal the areas where you seem stuck.