53. Dr. Harita Raja on Mind-Body Transformation

Apr 21

Accountability, small goals, and thought work are the keys to long-term success. It all starts with the thought piece. Dr. Harita Raja joins me to talk about her mind-body transformation and how life opened up for her in the last year.

Key Takeaways

Putting yourself first is not selfish.
Setting realistic expectations and goals is the key to sustainable results.
Finding an accountability group can dramatically increase your chances of success.

Listen to Episode 53 Here

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About Dr. Harita Raja

Harita Raja, MD is a board-certified psychiatrist who specializes in women's mental health. Dr. Raja founded Bethesda Women's Mental Health to provide women with a place to obtain compassionate and knowledgeable psychiatric care. She works closely with her patients, their loved ones, and their providers to find the best treatment plan.

Dr. Raja received her medical degree from Albany Medical College in Albany, NY. She completed her psychiatry residency at Medstar Georgetown University Hospital, in Washington, DC. Dr. Raja has published numerous articles and a book chapter about women’s mental health. She has also presented her work at various local and national psychiatric meetings. She is a member of the D.C. Women’s Mental Health Consortium. Dr. Raja is dedicated to educating women and the community about women's mental health and the options for treatment using a holistic perspective.

Get a Life Coach who Gets It

Dr. Harita Raja shares how she spends her days helping women as a psychologist, but she neglected her own health and well-being. It was only at the start of lockdown that she realized she had to make substantial changes to her own health.

One of the biggest factors Harita took into consideration when looking for a life coach was someone who would understand her lifestyle. That sense of understanding is especially important for physicians, as we have such a demanding life, combined with a tendency to be high-functioning.

The first area we started looking at was Harita’s thoughts. Your thought model has a dramatic impact on every aspect of your health. That’s why it’s essential to get your thoughts on track before considering any physical transformation.

Group Coaching and Accountability is Key

In fact, for Harita, it was about four months of thought work before we started working on her physical transformation by adding strength training.

Being in a group setting helped Harita with this transition as well. That safety zone where we could share our vulnerabilities honestly is such an essential part of a healthy relationship with yourself.

Harita explains why setting realistic goals and expectations is so vital to any kind of health transformation. Setting these smaller goals makes your bigger transformations much more possible, as you get excited about the smaller successes you’re making.

Homework for Women Physicians

Are you hesitant to make any kind of health transformation? What’s one thing holding you back? Let me know in the comments below!

In This Episode

Why your life coach should understand where you’re coming from [5:30]
Where a good place to start with life coaching is [9:00]
What the purpose of vulnerability is [10:30]
How long it might take you before you start focusing on your physical composition [12:30]
What power there is in realistic expectations [20:30]
How accountability groups can impact your health and wellness journey [24:00]

Quotes

“As women, and many men, we are so high functioning as physicians, so it might not show that we’re not doing well on the outside.” [7:45]

“I think after about four months, I could really look at the strength training and my health as just being something that was important for me. But I couldn’t do that until then.” [13:09]

“It’s finding that confidence in us first because that’s where it starts. It’s all in our thoughts. Anyone can do this, it’s just a matter of believing in ourselves.” [21:21]