Pattern Reversal: When Trying Harder Stops Working

When nothing changes, try the opposite.

Most people aren’t stuck because they lack discipline.
They’re stuck because they keep doing what used to work.
Even after it stopped helping.

• You eat “healthy,” but your body still resists.
• You consume self-help, but feel more confused.
• You over-schedule, but your creativity dries up.
• You scroll to escape, but end up feeling worse.

Trying harder doesn’t break the loop.
It deepens it.

Viktor Frankl called it paradoxical intention:
To overcome a stuck pattern, try doing the very thing you avoid.

Or, as Epictetus put it: “Try the opposite.”

At IntuiWell, Shivani & I built a framework around this.

We call it Pattern Reversal.

It helps clients break through deeply wired habits that hold them back by doing the unexpected.

Here’s what it looks like in our clients:

1. A couple in their 60s followed “clean home eating” rules to the letter. 
Minimal sugar. Fresh, home-cooked meals. No joy. Still no results.

We had them ditch the rules and eat intuitively.
In 2 weeks: inflammation dropped, digestion improved, and energy returned.

2. A woman in her 30s had no routine, just doom-scrolling, late nights, emotional spirals.

We introduced micro-structure and digital boundaries.
In 3 months: she regained emotional balance, sharpened her awareness, and finally acted on her professional growth.

3. A woman in her late 50s tried it all: Gym, yoga, slimming pills, powders. Still stuck.

We guided her to drop it all and return to the real food she loved.
In 3 months: she hit her weight goal, stabilized her energy, and reduced anxiety without supplements or stress.

4. A man in his 40s struggled in a dead-end relationship for years, afraid of being alone, scared of starting over.

We helped him pause all “fixing” attempts and reconnect with his own values.
In 2 months: he initiated a respectful exit, began recovering, and started building the kind of life and connection he actually wanted.

Pattern Reversal works because it disrupts your autopilot.
It’s not a hack. It’s a reset.
A moment of clarity through contrast.

So ask yourself:
Where in your life are you pushing harder…
when you should be pivoting?

Try the opposite.

Not because it’s easy.
But because it works.

Curious if Pattern Reversal could help you reset an area of your life?
DMs are always open.