Enlisting a buddy on the cleanse can be a powerful step on your road to wellness. The potential of this exercise may be an integral component for some of you and have a huge impact to the success of your cleanse and meal plans. Having the opportunity to support and be supported by another can add an extra dimension of encouragement and reassurance along the journey.
First of all, you need to find a BSB. You might already have a friend or relative who is on the cleanse that would like to take up the role. If that’s not the case, I suggest heading over to the Wholy Wellness Circle Facebook group page and ask around for your own BSB while you prepare for your meal plans. It may take a couple of times to find one but don’t give up, there’ll be someone else who is looking for that special support too. Once you have found a BSB, here are some helpful hints and suggestions for you to follow in supporting each other. Take a moment to read through the outline so you will be acquainted with the support process. You’ll also notice that I’ve attached questions that you can to pose to your BSB to help them navigate easily on the 21 Day Wellness Cleanse.
BSB CALL OUTLINE
Once you have found a BSB, decide on a day, time, and mode of communication that works well for the both of you. Some avenues of communication could be email, Skype, Facebook, phone, or any other avenue of conveying information you like to use. Here’s a sample of a BSB format to follow:
Buddy Call Format
1. Opening
Begin with a short centering exercise – take a moment to close your eyes, take a few slow, deep breaths, and go to a place where you have access to your inner wisdom and where you both connect on a deeper level. Pause for a few moments, then breathe deeply and come back to the call.
2. Clearing
This will be the time to speak or ask anything you need to share in order to feel clear with your buddy.
3. Inquiry
Ask your BSB three questions from the The Supportive Action Questions below. When your buddy is sharing, especially about their meal plans, just listen powerfully, without commenting or sympathizing.
4. Response
Let your buddy know if you feel they sidetrack, justify any actions, or make any excuses for their behavior. When giving comments, share your observations in a direct, clear, and non-judgmental way. If you don’t feel you can deliver feedback in a non-judgmental manner, commit to doing your own internal work on the issue before you share your observations with your buddy. Don’t offer advice about meal plans, try to give answers, or rescue your buddy in any way.
5. Ask for Support
If you need support from your BSB, then this is a good time to ask. Be open to them saying “no” if your BSB feels they really can’t do what you ask.
6. Celebrate
Affirm wins for one another and celebrate your achievements!
7. Closing
Acknowledge one another for their support and accountability and confirm next call appointment (having regularly scheduled BSB’s calls helps create and maintain a supportive structure).
8. Thank each other
Supportive Action Questions
I want to emphasize that all of your answers lie within. One of the best ways that you can support your BSB in situations where they’re experiencing difficulty is to ask questions rather than try to provide solutions about their meal plans. One of your roles as a BSB is to support one another and to get in touch with the wisdom that each of you already holds.
Contained in this document are some specific questions that you can use for your BSB when they seem to be looking for answers or appear to be caught in story. These questions are designed to produce an answer that spurs an action, a shift in behavior, or leads to a greater sense of self-responsibility in their cleanse and meal plans. They may also serve as examples of the types of questions that will move your BSB forward in various situations.
As a start, ask your BSB to pause and breathe consciously a few times to help them get centered before asking questions about their meal plans. Most importantly, remember that you are not responsible for your BSB’s meal plans or making sure that they “get it”. Just as you are learning to trust that your process is perfect for you, also allow your BSB to have the benefit of their process. If nothing specific comes up in answer to the question, then just allow that to be as it is and trust that your BSB will get or experience exactly what they need from the situation anyway.
Questions you can ask your BSB
- What do you need to do to take care of yourself right now on the cleanse and for your meal plans?
- What support are you needing right now to move forward?
- What do you need to do to take 100% responsibility for yourself right now?
- Is there something you need to give up or need to do to in order to do have or accomplish that?
- What other ways can you support yourself right now?
- How can you love yourself a little bit more fully today or this week?
- What can you tell yourself in order to feel safe supported right now?
Enjoy the process!
*Of course, preparing your meal plans while doing the cleanse as a solo agent has its merits too. Just know that if you ever change your mind you can always find a BSB later on down the road.
