06/14/2019
A quick guide for changing bad habits!
β β β β β β β β β
Hereβs the process in four steps:
β β β β β β β β β
1. Habit that I want to change β whatβs no longer serving me? What have I outgrown?
2. What it gives me β what benefit do I get from this habit? How does it make me FEEL?
3. What I can replace it with β what do I enjoy and value just as much, or even more?
4. So, I will β what small step can I realistically commit to? How can I make it easy for me to execute on? β β β β β β β β β
β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β
The most important realization I had in the process of shifting hard-to-break habits is realizing that everything I do is to feel a certain way. Once I could unpack WHY I was doing it and the BENEFIT it gave me, I could replace it with something I enjoyed and valued more.
β β β β β β β β β
Letβs take negative self-talk. This is a habit I didnβt want and was convinced was adding nothing to my life. Guess what it was giving me? CONTROL. With that realization, I replaced it with what I enjoy more: humor, lightness, and detachment. β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β
Thatβs why I started nicknaming and having fun with my critical inner characters. Thereβs Doc, the Impostor (a neuroscientist at Harvard π), Grace the Perfectionist (hailing from London), and Anxious Annie. Now when my critics act out, I can laugh and think, βOh, thatβs Annie getting worked up again.β
β β β β β β β β β
Or Evening wine. I love me some wine, but noticed having a glass or two every night had me feeling foggy in the morning. Understanding that I drank wine to relax and feel pleasure inspired me to replace it with something I enjoy just as much: restorative yoga. β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β β
Or waking up and grabbing my phone. This was a HARD one. Breaking this habit required me to design my environment so that I literally cannot grab my phone in the morning. Itβs in the other room. My journal sits on my nightstand. After a week of fighting the urge to grab my phone, I now am getting more energy and pleasure from journaling. Experiencing the benefit of the new habit helps me change the old one.
β β β β β β β β β
What habits do you want to start shifting this week?
Credits Choose Wonder
πͺ @ Miami, Florida