291. What Are You Tolerating?

:: 00:05

Hello and welcome to this episode of the Drink Less, Live Better podcast. I'm your host, Sarah Williamson, and I'm really glad you're here.

:: 00:15

Now, what are you tolerating? Sometimes something can be a part of our lives for so long that we stop noticing it: the friend who always leaves you feeling drained, the cupboard door that has needed adjusting for 2 years now, the bag you're going to take to the charity shop that sits in the boot of your car and doesn't quite make it out of your car, the job that you complain about, the endless notifications on your phone that you haven't turned off yet, the conversation you keep avoiding, the way you're the one who's always organizing everything, the glass of wine you pour because that's simply what you do when you get in from work.

:: 01:00

And none of these things necessarily feel like a big enough problem to deal with, and that's partly why they stay. We become incredibly adaptable. Human beings are rather good at adjusting to things. We find workarounds, we tell ourselves that everything is fine, and we lower our expectations for ourselves. And then that all becomes the baseline.

:: 01:27

And I think this is particularly interesting when it comes to drinking. You might have got used to waking up feeling a little bit groggy. You might have got used to thinking about when you can have your next drink. You might have got used to negotiating with yourself about whether tonight is a drinking night or not. You might have got used to the feeling that alcohol is just a part of your life, and because it's familiar, it can be surprisingly difficult to imagine doing things differently. But familiarity isn't the same thing as something being correct for you.

:: 02:04

And is now a good time to have a little look around your life? Where are you quietly tolerating something that isn't actually good enough? What have you stopped questioning because you've become accustomed to it? What would you change if you didn't have to justify the change to anyone else? Ask yourself, "If this situation were new to me today, would I choose it?"

:: 02:33

And imagine you hadn't already spent 3 years putting up with the way that friend spoke to you. Would you accept the relationship as it currently is? If you hadn't already been drinking most evenings for 10 years, would you decide that this was how you wanted your evenings to look now? If you hadn't already become accustomed to being exhausted, would you consider that this was a fine way to live?

:: 02:58

You do not have to overhaul your entire life. The first step is just noticing what's going on. Because once you've noticed something, you then have a choice. You can keep it if you like it, or you can change it. You can accept it consciously rather than automatically, or you get to decide that you've had enough of it.

:: 03:22

And that is your little invitation for today. Notice one thing you've been tolerating because you've got used to it. Sometimes the things that quietly take up the most space in our lives are the things that we've stopped seeing, the things we've stopped noticing.

:: 03:40

Thank you for being here with me today. You can find me online at drinklesslivebetter.com where you'll find lots of supportive resources. Check out today's podcast show notes for a link to a hidden episode that will help with your 5 p.m. cravings and details about my one-to-one life coaching and sober coaching programs. And P.S. I believe in you.