Don’t Push the Lazy Domino!

As I help my clients navigate this unsettling time, one major topic of discussion has been helping people learn to control their eating (and their lives) in their sudden and new work-from-home lifestyle. Most of my clients work the majority of the time in an office setting, so suddenly being home 24 hours a day is a huge change. I had a session this week with my client, Sarah, who works in software sales and is now working from home. She has been struggling to find a new sense of normalcy now that she doesn’t have to get up every morning, shower, and drive to work. She told me that when her alarm goes off in the morning, she often has the thought, “What does it matter if I stay in bed a little bit longer?” So, I asked Sarah, “Does it matter?”

Sarah thought about it and said that yes, it does matter because when she starts out the day by not getting up at her normal time, it sets off a domino effect that negatively impacts the rest of her day. It means she doesn’t get up in time to eat her healthy breakfast, and sometimes doesn’t end up eating anything until lunch, by which point she’s overly hungry, feeling deprived about not eating breakfast, and often ends up making poor choices. When she doesn’t get up, she also starts work later, which means she works later into the night, which throws off dinner and means she gets to bed way later than she knows she should. Additionally, it decreases the chance that she’ll end up getting some exercise that day (either a walk or run outside, or an exercise video at home), because her timing is all thrown off, which is highly detrimental because exercise is so critical to helping Sarah release stress and boost her mood. In short: Getting up when her alarm goes off matters, and it matters a lot.

Sarah realized that when she ignores her alarm and stays in bed, she’s setting off her “lazy domino,” which then spirals down the rest of her day. When Sarah gets up with her alarm and gets her day started, she sets off a much different, much happier and more productive chain of dominos. Sarah made a Response Card that said, “Don’t be the lazy domino!” as a reminder of exactly why it mattered, even in this uncertain time, to get up and get her day started when her alarm goes off.