{"id":12189,"date":"2025-10-31T05:55:00","date_gmt":"2025-10-31T12:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/?p=12189"},"modified":"2025-10-25T09:11:39","modified_gmt":"2025-10-25T16:11:39","slug":"willpower-isnt-the-problem","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/","title":{"rendered":"The Holiday Gauntlet: Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<p><strong><em>From Halloween to the Super Bowl, it\u2019s one long buffet of temptation.<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>One of my clients works in a big government building where the reception desk is overflowing with free candy at this time of year. She said that every trip to her office feels like running a gauntlet of sweets.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>She says she can easily resist in the morning, but by afternoon, her willpower is gone. That makes perfect sense! Willpower is like a battery that drains throughout the day. By the time we hit that mid-afternoon slump, we can be running on fumes.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I\u2019ve been there more times than I can count. We start the day with strong intentions, only to fall into familiar patterns later on. Sometimes we\u2019re halfway through the behavior before we even realize it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If this sounds familiar to you, you&#8217;re not alone! And it\u2019s not human weakness. <em>It\u2019s biological wiring.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Humans evolved as hunter-gatherers. When our ancestors found sweet berries or ripe fruit, they ate them \u2014 all of them. The food wouldn\u2019t last, so \u201ceat it while you can\u201d was smart survival behavior. Our brains are still wired that way, even though today we are surrounded by endless availability all year long.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Nowhere is that more obvious than the modern holiday season.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>From Halloween to the Super Bowl, we\u2019re swimming in sugar, fat, alcohol, and food nostalgia. Every celebration comes with \u201cspecial\u201d treats we feel eagerly \u201cobligated\u201d to eat. Family members show love through cooking. Stress pushes us toward dopamine-rich comfort foods. And those familiar old beliefs start whispering:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li><em>I have to eat pie on Thanksgiving.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>I can\u2019t resist chocolate.<\/em><\/li>\n\n\n\n<li><em>It\u2019s the holidays \u2014 I\u2019ll get back on track later.<\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\n<p>Sound familiar?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we repeat those mantras, we train ourselves to believe them. We convince ourselves we\u2019re powerless. So of course, when the fudge or cheese ball shows up, we say, \u201cyes please!\u201d&nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>When we are over-full and frustrated we start shaming ourselves for \u201cfailing to use self-control.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>It\u2019s a slippery fucking slope.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>I like the word <em>gauntlet<\/em> because it has two meanings:<\/p>\n\n\n\n<ol class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>A dangerous experience one must go through to reach a goal.<\/li>\n\n\n\n<li>A punishment of receiving blows while running between two rows of men with sticks.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n\n\n\n<p>The first meaning fits the buffet line. The second describes what happens <em>after<\/em>, when we beat ourselves up mentally.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>How was Halloween this year? How do you feel about your choices?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>If your energy sinks when you ask yourself those questions, <em>notice that.<\/em> That heavy feeling is what self-judgment feels like, and it\u2019s one of the biggest things keeping us stuck in the pattern.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>We try to change, slip up, judge ourselves harshly, and then eat to soothe the shame. This common cycle repeats again and again, draining our energy and leaving us depleted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>The good news? There\u2019s a way to stop swinging that stick at yourself.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>In next week\u2019s blog post, we\u2019ll explore how to shift that inner voice, that inner bully, into a loyal friend who helps you heal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p><strong>Grow on!<\/strong><br>This week I invite you to just notice. Take note of when you speak harshly to yourself. For what types of behaviors do you judge yourself? What do you think of others when they display those behaviors?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>What sorts of things are you saying to yourself? How would you feel if someone else said that to you? How would you feel if you said them to someone else?<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Just start to notice your behavior. The first step in changing behavior is always awareness.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>From Halloween to the Super Bowl, it\u2019s one long buffet of temptation. One of my clients works in a big government building where the reception desk is overflowing with free candy at this time of year. She said that every trip to her office feels like running a gauntlet of [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":12199,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[107,11,10],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-12189","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-food-for-thought","category-mindset","category-self-care"],"yoast_head":"<!-- This site is optimized with the Yoast SEO plugin v23.3 - https:\/\/yoast.com\/wordpress\/plugins\/seo\/ -->\n<title>Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem - Cyndi Combs Home<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"It\u2019s easy to get stuck in the cycle of holiday stress and self-judgment. Learn why willpower isn\u2019t the problem\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem - Cyndi Combs Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"It\u2019s easy to get stuck in the cycle of holiday stress and self-judgment. Learn why willpower isn\u2019t the problem\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"Cyndi Combs Home\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2025-10-31T12:55:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:modified_time\" content=\"2025-10-25T16:11:39+00:00\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:image\" content=\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:width\" content=\"851\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:height\" content=\"315\" \/>\n\t<meta property=\"og:image:type\" content=\"image\/jpeg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"cyndi\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"cyndi\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"3 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\/\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"cyndi\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/bef07b1a5005ea91c7817377119ee0b9\"},\"headline\":\"The Holiday Gauntlet: Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-31T12:55:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-25T16:11:39+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/\"},\"wordCount\":603,\"commentCount\":0,\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/bef07b1a5005ea91c7817377119ee0b9\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Food for Thought\",\"Mindset\",\"Self-Care\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/\",\"name\":\"Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem - Cyndi Combs Home\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2025-10-31T12:55:00+00:00\",\"dateModified\":\"2025-10-25T16:11:39+00:00\",\"description\":\"It\u2019s easy to get stuck in the cycle of holiday stress and self-judgment. Learn why willpower isn\u2019t the problem\",\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg\",\"width\":851,\"height\":315},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/\",\"name\":\"Cyndi Combs Coaching\",\"description\":\"Transform your life from exhausted striving to energized thriving!\",\"publisher\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/bef07b1a5005ea91c7817377119ee0b9\"},\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":\"required name=search_term_string\"}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":[\"Person\",\"Organization\"],\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/bef07b1a5005ea91c7817377119ee0b9\",\"name\":\"cyndi\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\",\"url\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alchemist-Biz-Card.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alchemist-Biz-Card.jpg\",\"width\":1050,\"height\":600,\"caption\":\"cyndi\"},\"logo\":{\"@id\":\"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem - Cyndi Combs Home","description":"It\u2019s easy to get stuck in the cycle of holiday stress and self-judgment. Learn why willpower isn\u2019t the problem","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem - Cyndi Combs Home","og_description":"It\u2019s easy to get stuck in the cycle of holiday stress and self-judgment. Learn why willpower isn\u2019t the problem","og_url":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/","og_site_name":"Cyndi Combs Home","article_published_time":"2025-10-31T12:55:00+00:00","article_modified_time":"2025-10-25T16:11:39+00:00","og_image":[{"width":851,"height":315,"url":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg","type":"image\/jpeg"}],"author":"cyndi","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"cyndi","Est. reading time":"3 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/"},"author":{"name":"cyndi","@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/bef07b1a5005ea91c7817377119ee0b9"},"headline":"The Holiday Gauntlet: Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem","datePublished":"2025-10-31T12:55:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-25T16:11:39+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/"},"wordCount":603,"commentCount":0,"publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/bef07b1a5005ea91c7817377119ee0b9"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg","articleSection":["Food for Thought","Mindset","Self-Care"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/","url":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/","name":"Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem - Cyndi Combs Home","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg","datePublished":"2025-10-31T12:55:00+00:00","dateModified":"2025-10-25T16:11:39+00:00","description":"It\u2019s easy to get stuck in the cycle of holiday stress and self-judgment. Learn why willpower isn\u2019t the problem","breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/10\/pumpkins.jpg","width":851,"height":315},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/2025\/10\/31\/willpower-isnt-the-problem\/#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Willpower Isn\u2019t the Problem"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#website","url":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/","name":"Cyndi Combs Coaching","description":"Transform your life from exhausted striving to energized thriving!","publisher":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/bef07b1a5005ea91c7817377119ee0b9"},"potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":"required name=search_term_string"}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":["Person","Organization"],"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/bef07b1a5005ea91c7817377119ee0b9","name":"cyndi","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/","url":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alchemist-Biz-Card.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/08\/alchemist-Biz-Card.jpg","width":1050,"height":600,"caption":"cyndi"},"logo":{"@id":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/#\/schema\/person\/image\/"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12189","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12189"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12189\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12197,"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12189\/revisions\/12197"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12199"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12189"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12189"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cyndicombs.com\/coaching\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12189"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}