Forming a habit may not be the easiest thing to do, but it is simpler than you think. We go about our days often thinking of ways we can improve ourselves, as we believe that way we might improve our lives and our happiness. Sometimes, it’s just something we want to do, and at any rate, there are key things you can do, which will help you to form those healthy habits.
Start by thinking long-term
Often, we’re given ways of doing something good for ourselves, but it only seems to last for a small period of time. Whether it’s a two-week cleansing ritual or a 28-day workout routine, they’re too short term. What we need to do is stop preparing ourselves for a short term change and prepare ourselves for the long term. This way, it won’t come as a shock to the system, and if you’re successful, you will feel super pleased with your new lifestyle.
Start with cognitive goals
So maybe you’re not quite ready to spring into action just yet. That’s totally fine, but that doesn’t mean you have to stop working on your goals altogether. In fact, you can work on those cognitive goals, making plans, listing things, and researching what it is you want to achieve. This will help you to get a better picture of what you’re trying to do, whether it’s working on a healthier diet, a good exercise regime, or shaking up your entire lifestyle.
Work on coping strategies
We all go through periods of feeling super motivated and wanting to throw ourselves into a healthy routine with maximal results. However, the issue with this is that it can burn out pretty fast. Instead of relying on your motivation to carry you through your new lifestyle, you’re probably better off working on your coping strategies to low motivation. Set alarms, remind yourself of the end result, whatever you do, make sure you prepare for low motivation, and having to work through it.
Celebrate the small things
Now, we’re not talking about celebrating by breaking your newly formed healthy habits, but by realizing that what you’re doing is building to your ultimate goal. Sometimes, it helps to think about where this all fits within the big picture and feeling positive about the things you are achieving. You don’t need to change everything instantly but are probably better off working things up slowly. By changing your diet and exercise regime up dramatically, you can make your body burn out and be more inclined to drop everything entirely. This is why taking it slow and steady is more important than instant results.
Make your actions matter
One of the most important factors is mindset. You need to be prepared to make your actions matter, and the person it matters most to is yourself. By doing this, you will need to actively encourage yourself to do the things you normally might not. Like walking to the store instead of driving or going for a light jog when you might have otherwise been sat in front of the TV. As long as it’s slightly more than before, it’s going to make a difference. You will need to personalize this if you’re already heading to the gym once a week, push yourself a little harder on the treadmill, or swap that coffee for a water.
On average, it takes around 66 days to form a habit officially, so working on your long-term mindset and sticking within your boundaries will help you reach your goals.
