☀️ can't moderate? try these 3 steps...

Whenever I would find myself stuck bingeing something over and over again (ie: sugar, wine, social media), I'd beat myself up, vow to change, and attempt to moderate it instead. But then I'd feel trapped in an overanalyzing mental prison. "How much can I have? When will I have it? Wait, was that too much?"

BUT! Whenever I eliminated them completely, it somehow felt easy. No mental gymnastics. No extra “noise”.

For some of us: abstaining easier than moderating. ( See also: we're dramatic.)

And for some vices, it works great! But when it came to food and social media especially, I wanted to know... is there any hope in me becoming a moderator?

Science says, for certain vices, yes!

So if you happen to be caught in a bit of a sloppy binge-then-regret-loop...try these three steps:

Hit the Reset Button: Eliminate Completely
To start moderating, it can help to completely remove the thing you’re trying to moderate—whether it's a certain trigger food, habit, or distraction. When you do this, your brain gets the signal that this is no longer an option, and it starts to recalibrate your craving and reward system.
Why this works: When you stop engaging in the habit, dopamine (the pleasure chemical) stops spiking, which helps your brain build new, healthier pathways. This makes it easier to reintroduce moderation later on.
Practice Delayed Gratification
I know, this an annoying step... BUT, hear me out…you can literally strengthen your ability to resist immediate urges by practicing delayed gratification. Your prefrontal cortex (PFC)—responsible for decision-making and impulse control—needs to get comfortable with discomfort.
Why this works: The more you sit with discomfort and delay instant rewards, the stronger your self-control “muscle” becomes. This helps you choose long-term satisfaction (like feeling good or sticking to your goals) over short-term indulgence.
Reintroduce Slowly and Mindfully
Once you’ve given yourself time to reset, you may decide to add the behavior back—but THIS TIME, do it slowly, with intention, and with some “weird rules” as my clients and I like to call them. This helps your brain recalibrate its reward system so you can enjoy the behavior without overindulging.
Why this works: Reintroducing the habit in small doses tied to a specific time/place helps avoid overwhelming your reward system, allowing you to engage in the behavior without triggering the binge cycle.

If a "reset" sounds intriguing, but you want guided custom 1:1 support, my 90-Day Reset is kicking off on September 1, and there are only 2 spots left of the four spots! If you’re ready to recalibrate your habits, create space, and find lasting alignment, hit reply with the word “interested!”, and I’ll send you the details. 📩

xoxo- Katie Day

Up Next:

Sunday, August 17th: I'm thrilled to announce that I was asked to be the Convocation Speaker for Missouri State University this week! I'll be presenting the three habits to unlocking maximum college magic. (They happen to be also the same three habits to unlocking maximum life magic.) This will be my first 10,000 seat arena experience, sooo wish me luck! (I'm scare-cited! This is a public affairs signature event, open to all students, faculty, staff, alumni, bear-fans! Hope to see you there!)

August Theme: The "Set Up Shop" Challenge inside the Habit Lab begins tomorrow! It will be about decluttering and creating a simple "command station" so you are ready for back to school. As well as "rest station" for when you need to go inward and regroup.

Group Coaching with me on Zoom! Tomorrow, August 12th and August 26th! Inside the Habit Lab!

Try it Free!

Have you wanted to try out what I teach inside the Habit Lab, but don't want to commit? I'm running a free 7-day trial for a limited time! That's long enough to binge the entire course, poke around, and no one will even know you were there (unless you want them to!)