Habits

The end of the year is approaching, and with it the inner evaluation of what we have achieved and what we have missed. Often, we conclude with resolutions for the coming year. Even more often the list looks deceptively similar to the one from the previous year.

 

Today, we will focus on how we can successfully implement resolutions. The key is to create attractive or change unwanted habits.

 

As a first step, you can ask yourself what is truly desirable for you personally:

 

Who do I want to be and what does this future me do?

 

Then it's all about habits. The neurological basis of this is that our much-demanded brain likes to do as many things as possible in energy-saving mode. This may sound undesirable at first, especially if we have set ourselves up for a conscious and mindful life. But it makes sense if we don't have to re-evaluate every little decision, be it with which hand we reach for the fork when we eat, in order to be able to live our everyday life reasonably efficiently.

 

In order not to overstrain our routine system, it is therefore important to take small steps when establishing new habits. This means that I don't try to turn my entire life upside down on the first of January every year, but rather first take on exactly one new thing, which I then implement consistently concentrateing on it for a month. Calculated over the year, I can still change 12 behaviours and that sounds like a lot, doesn't it?

 

Let's use a popular example:

If I want to integrate more movement into my daily routine, I can, for example, dance around the flat for a few minutes to my favourite playlist every morning after getting up, or do a few stretching exercises on the yoga mat laid out in front of the bed every evening before going to bed.

 

Regularity, low effort and fun are three of the most important ingredients when installing new routines. It is far more effective to start or end each day with five to 10 minutes of exercise than to spend half of January fabricating fierce workouts and sore muscles in a crowded gym, just to fall back into old routines because the programme cannot be realistically integrated into my daily life and brings more discontent than joy.

 

Plan realistically and make it easy and enjoyable, for example by starting with exercises that are easy and fun for you. Prepare for the new habit by finding motivating music and your favourite equipment in advance. Try to stick with it for the first month. You can encourage yourself by drawing a smiley face on your calendar every day when you have achieved your resolution. If the morning doesn't suit you because you overslept, you can move the 10 minutes to your lunch break and invite your colleagues to dance with you. You'll be surprised how well it goes down!

 

If you want to break an unwanted habit at the same time, such as smoking when stressed, you can also pair it with a new routine. So the next time you have a craving for a cigarette, you can try a short walk, a stretching session or a dance routine instead to relieve stress.

 

I wish you much joy in exploring and establishing the new you!

 

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