SHE GOT THE ICK.

Pro tip if you want to STOP / reduce / change a habit:

Channel the ICK. 😝

Did you watch Nobody Wants This?

I cried laughing and had to rewind the scene by the pool where the sisters talk about the ick (like when she saw her bf running with a backpack 😭 )...

HEAR ME OUT, {first_name}.

Learning how to shift your own perceptions is like a totally legal cheat code to self-leadership. 👑

Manufacturing the ICK is one way you can practice.

Today's example that inspired this share:

I've got some thinky / screeny work to do this afternoon, but I'm feeling a little sleepy and unfocused bc I woke up earlier than usual (not on purpose).

I considered grabbing a Diet Coke from the fridge, but is caffeine really my best option for increasing energy right now?

It can serve a purpose ONE HUNDRED EMOJI.

But not without drawbacks. 🚩🚩🚩

Like:

💥 a tiny cortisol spike

😵‍💫 gut / dopamine confusion (acc to ChatGPT, bc I asked)

📉 mineral loss from the diuretic effect when I JUST put those minerals in there (!)

🤐 throwing off my hunger signals for the day, etc.

I'm not judging caffeine. I leaned on it daily for over a decade.

I recorded a whole podcast on what helped me transition out of my daily habit last year, but in a nutshell: it was much easier to do once I looked at how it was actually hindering my energy long term.

I created the ICK.

Or at least enough ick to zoom out and consider other options.

The key is to identify what you're REALLY after.

For me – is it the drink itself? No.

It's the SPARK.⚡️ The energy and mental focus I may (or may not!) get from the caffeine.

Next step is to ask:

What ELSE could I do that would get me those same benefits, without the ick?

In my example:

💤 power nap

💧 more water

👣 short power walk around the house

🎧 great music or podcast

💞 re-reading notes from the very clients I'm creating for

Any or ALL of these alternates give me the benefits I want, without the ick and with a more sustainable spark.

You with me?

What's one habit you'd love to develop the ICK for?

If you’re bold enough to hit reply and share with me, I’ll reward your courage and honesty by replying with at least ONE custom ick factor to get your gears turning.

Would love to help you reclaim your sense of agency (with this habit and with life in general). ❤️

P.S. If you love this tip, I'm willing to bet my afternoon orange juice you will LOVE the rest of the habit series. Check it out here. 🍊

Hi 👋 I'm Nikki (Elledge Brown).

Writer, podcaster, and creative advisor for brilliant women who love their work, their people, and their alone time.

As a professional overthinker who believes strongly in INTEGRITY > BALANCE, it's my nerdy pleasure to create and share tools, questions, and frameworks that make it easier to feel good about how we’re showing up — on paper and in practice.

Around here, living like a whole human is the way.

That's what we call On Her Terms® living.