So there I was, half way through a tub of cookie dough, empty Panda Express delivery box beside me, and an inbox full of work emails I’d been ignoring all day. This was a pretty ugly relapse. I’m still not 100% sure what triggered it, but I definitely got caught up in the escapism and was already halfway to hell with both feet on the gas pedal.

And then I saw something. As my hand lifted another spoonful of bad decision towards my mouth, the bracelet I always wear jingled lightly. It’s a dark polished metal with interlocking segments and an engraved quote. I hadn’t noticed my bracelet previously because I had been caught up in the moment, but I froze it as the quote sunk in. It is just three words.

“Simplicity, patience, compassion.”

I got this bracelet made exactly for situations like this. To remind me of important lessons I’ve learned but sometimes forget, when life gets stressful or things don’t go according to plan. I’ve read tons of self improvement books on time management, communication, fitness, etc, but bad days still happen. 

Sometimes life throws me a curveball and it feels like I forget all those important lessons, life hacks, discipline tricks, and strategies. I go straight for my coping mechanisms and make bad decisions and try to escape from the things I don’t know how to deal with. So that’s why I got this bracelet. It is always with me, and it reminds me of lessons I might have forgotten that can pull me out of a relapse. 

That quote told me the most important wisdom is simple: don’t do things you’ll regret. It told me to be patient with myself because it’s impossible to never make mistakes. And it told me self hatred wouldn’t fix this, but self compassion could. 

Without that bracelet calling me out, binge eating could have become binge drinking. The bracelet gives me a second chance on a bad day, a wake up call to use the tools and wisdom I’ve spent so much time researching, but lost sight of as the day overcame me. The day wasn’t perfect, but it could have gotten much worse. I snapped out of it, went for a walk, did some journaling, and halted the downward spiral.

Is this a success story about me having a shredded six pack and having healed all my emotional scars? Not even close. It’s a story about how you can put parachutes in your life so when the plane engine does explode, there’s something to catch you. There will always be breakdowns and relapses and stressful life events you can’t control. That’s just life. Preventing all plane engine problems from happening isn’t an option. Putting parachutes in the plane is.

I actually have several bracelets, because this strategy helps me so much (custom bracelets with quotes are just $20 on amazon, mine have 3 quotes each, and you can make your own for cheaper). I don’t think relapses ever stop, because life never stops screwing over our plans. But we can plant reminders in our lives to help us get back on track. 

Do you have any quotes that remind you what’s important? I’d love to hear them, and recommend installing them somewhere they can help you when you need it most. Like a parachute in an airplane, it’ll prevent a bad day from becoming a much worse one.

Here’s other quotes I have on bracelets and what they tell me

“Do it scared”

You can do something before you feel ready. For many important goals you’ll never feel ready, so might as well get started.

“The obstacle is the way”

Can you use your current challenge as a way to improve yourself, learn a skill, or benefit somehow? When you turn every challenge into an opportunity, nothing can stop you.

“It’s not about you”

Most people’s decisions and actions have nothing to do with you. Taking things personally wastes time and energy and is rarely an accurate perspective.

“Memento Mori”

You are going to die someday, and you can’t get today back after it’s gone. What can you appreciate and notice about this moment? On your deathbed you’ll wish you savored life every chance you got.

“Discipline = Freedom”

Making good decisions makes you feel good. Want to feel good? Be disciplined about decisions that create good feelings, not regret.