Habits- Breaking and Starting Them

March 8, 2019

Lexy Rutt- Marketing Employee

If you’ve maintained your New Year’s resolution this long, congrats! You’re in the 8% of people who actually stick with theirs. If you’re like the other 92% of us who had good intentions (or chose not to make one in the first place), well… this is for you.

Everybody has at least one bad habit they’d like to kick and ideas of good ones they want to start. Thankfully, we don’t have to wait until next January 1st rolls around to initiate lifestyle change. Start today by taking that first mental step!

Of course, some habits may take more concentrated effort to break or form depending on what they are. Keep in mind that what works for one person may not work for you, and that’s okay – don’t give up! No health magazine, motivational speaker, or lifestyle blog (not even this one) has the answer to what you’re specifically going through, but the following tips can point you in a direction that may help.

Positive Reminders

Some people say it takes 3 weeks to form a habit, others say it takes 66 days – in reality, though, it depends on several factors. It may feel like it’s taking forever to get rid of a bad habit or start a new one, but remind yourself why you started in the first place and how altering your lifestyle will improve your wellbeing. One option is to post sticky-notes around your house to encourage yourself; for example, if your bad habit is snacking past 9 PM, consider putting a “note to self” on the refrigerator. Your phone can be a great tool, too – receiving a daily notification about the habit, or checking off a calendar for each day you continue to stick with the habit, provides something measurable. These may sound simple, but visual reminders can be incredibly helpful!

Rewards

According to Routine Excellence, rewards should be used to reinforcebehavior, not motivate it. To help the brain associate a reward with an action, the reward needs to happen quickly after the action – not hours later or at the end of the week. For instance, if stretching every day for 10 minutes is the habit you’re trying to form, follow it up with a glass of your favorite juice that you only drink after stretching (not a beverage you would drink at any time throughout the day – this reinforces that the drink is a special reward).

Rewards can make actions feel good, thus helping you think you enjoy an activity you previously didn’t. Rewards should also be small. While a bigger reward may make you more motivated in the moment, the action won’t become routine, because you disconnected from the actual habit by telling yourself you only did the activity for the pay-off. Thus, by incorporating small, regular, relatedrewards for the habit you’re trying to start, you’ll have a better chance of sticking with it since you’ll actually enjoy the habit, no longer feeling like it’s something you have to force yourself to do.

Accountability

Although declaring your resolution to break/form a habit isn’t necessary, it does let people know how they can keep you accountable. So, make sure you surround yourself with at least one or two people who will encourage you in your journey. Ask them to check in with you about your goal – it doesn’t have to be as formal as a weekly text, but if that helps, go for it!

Reference