Journey to the Sunnyside

Welcome to Journey to the Sunny Side, the podcast where we have thoughtful conversations to explore the science of habits, uncover the secrets to mindful living, and, of course, inspire your own mindful drinking journey. This podcast is brought to you by Sunny Side, the number 1 alcohol moderation platform. And if you could benefit from drinking a bit less, head on over to sunnyside.co to get a free fifteen day trial. I'm your host, Mike Hardenbrook, published author, neuroscience enthusiast, and habit change expert. Hey there.

Welcome back to another 1 of these ten minute Mondays. I'm Mike Hardenbrook. And today, I wanna talk about something that we all run into, and that is plateaus. You know that feeling that you've been working on something like mindful drinking goals or any other personal goal, and then all of a sudden, it just feels stale. Like, you're not really moving forward, and you're just kinda bored with it all.

Yeah. The same thing happens to me, and it actually happens to everyone, and it's totally normal. But here's the good news. It's actually a sign that you are ready for something new. So today, we're gonna chat a little bit about why plateaus happen, how to revisit your goals, why your why is so important, and how to shake things up when things feel a little too easy or a little bit boring.

So let's get into this. And the first thing I'll call out is that hitting these plateaus is just part of the process. Growth is not a straight line where everything feels amazing all the time. Instead, it comes more like in waves. There's these highs, but there's also flat spots.

And when you hit 1 of those flat spots, it's not because you're doing anything wrong. In fact, plateaus are actually a sign of progress, but what they mean is you've grown past your old baseline. And think of it like running. At first, a 1 mile is a challenge, but eventually, it's not really a big deal, and that's a plateau. It's your body.

It's your mind saying, okay. I got this down. What's next? So instead of getting stuck in this frustration of feeling stalled out, I want you to take a moment to pause and reassess and ask yourself, what's my next step? How do I level up from here?

And here's where it gets really important when we're talking about this why, that you really should have a why you're doing anything. And when you started changing your relationship with alcohol, what was the reason that you made that first step? Was it to feel healthier? Was it to sleep better? Maybe it was to be more present with your family.

Maybe it's just curiosity about what life could look like without drinking. So here's the thing with your why. It can fade over time. Life happens, and maybe you've hit some of your goals, and that original feeling just doesn't feel as urgent as it did at 1 time. Or maybe you've grown past that, and your why has completely shifted.

And that's totally okay. The key is to revisit your why and ask yourself, does this still matter to me? And am I connected to this reason or do I need to reframe it? And if your original why doesn't line up anymore, that's your cue that you need to create a new 1. So maybe now it's less about quitting or cutting back, and it's more about building something new.

So this week take a few minutes to reflect on that. Why? Is it the same? Do you need to reassess? Do you need to just reaffirm it again?

And it's important to write things down. I'm a big advocate of that, but you can even go 1 step further. Write it down and say it out loud. Whatever helps you to reconnect with it or in some way, refine it into something that feels real for where you are today. Here's something that I see a lot when people hit these plateaus.

They get so focused on what they're cutting out of their lives, and they forget about what they're adding in. And think about it like this. Is there something that you've been wanting to try? It doesn't even have to be alcohol related. Maybe it's a new hobby, things like cooking, hiking, painting, or maybe it's just planning and taking a trip, starting a side hustle, or learning something new.

And the reason for this is that adding something exciting into your life creates momentum, and that momentum is gonna spill over into other areas, including your mindful drinking journey. When you're engaged and energized, you feel less stuck. That stale feeling isn't gonna come up as much. So here's 1 challenge for you. This week, pick something new to try.

You can start very, very small, but it should be something that gets you excited. It sparks a little bit of joy. Even if it's a small thing, pick something new that will get you energized. At these plateaus, if you're feeling ready to push yourself even a little bit further, this is a great time for that. And I'm not saying it needs to be something huge.

This isn't about perfection. It's not about being extreme, but sometimes shaking up your routine means stepping out of that comfort zone. So maybe you add 1 more alcohol free day to your week. Maybe you try attending social events without a drink where you normally would and just see how it feels. Or maybe you experiment with a new strategy.

So for example, if you're pushing yourself and you wanna remove some more alcohol in this experiment and see how it goes, you might also wanna add in some strategies to help support that. So for example, I love to journal, and I know that sounds kind of boring and hokey, but it literally was a game changer for me. So what kind of strategy maybe could you add in on top of pushing yourself with your goals on this experiment, which is always an experiment. You can always come back if you're happy where you are, but want to go and try something new. What can support that?

And remember, it's not about making drastic changes overnight. It's about exploring what you're capable of and proving to yourself that you can handle it. And even if it feels uncomfortable at first, remember that that's where growth comes from. As we wrap up, here's the big takeaway. Plateaus aren't the end of the journey.

They're a natural part of the growth. They're a sign that you're actually making progress. And now is the time if you're going through 1 or you feel stale to pause, to revisit your goals, to reconnect with your why, and maybe you can shake things up a little bit. So here's the challenge and the recap of the 3 things. You can pick 1 or all of them.

Number 1 is revisit and refine your why. Number 2 would be add something exciting in your life, something that brings you joy or makes you feel more energized and alive. And number 3 would be push yourself a little bit further. And whatever that looks like, see if you wanna go that extra step. And remember, you're not stuck.

You're always evolving. You're always growing, and it's not about being perfect. It's about showing up and trying. And I know as long as you're doing that, then you've got this. So thanks for hanging out with me today, and I'd love to know how you're gonna shake things up or how you have approached this topic.

Feel free to email me, mike@sunnyside.co, and I always read and respond to all emails. And if you got a little bit of value out of this, it would mean the world to me to leave us a review on whatever podcast platform you're listening to. And I hope you have a beautiful week, and cheers to your mindful drinking journey. This podcast is brought to you by SunnySide, the number 1 alcohol moderation platform. And if you could benefit from drinking a bit less, head on over to sunnyside.co to get a free fifteen day trial.