Habits have a natural cycle. They can also be good or bad.
You are reminded of something. You want something. You respond. You are rewarded.
You are stressed. You want to a cigarette. You go out for a smoke. You are rewarded by the feeling of being relaxed and socializing with others who are smoking.
You are stress. You want to go for a walk. You go for a walk. You are rewarded by being outside, getting exercise and having time to think.
We want to create good new habits. Even though, there seems to be a simple logical solution starting a new habit can be hard.
Here are some tips for starting a new habit:
- Have a reason why it is important and say it when you are doing the new habit
- Do the new habit next to a formed habit.
- Reward yourself – it is fine to have external rewards.
- Hang out with people who already for the habit you want. We are influenced by other people’s behavior.
- Don’t wait for a special start date like New Years or your birthday; just drive right in.
- Remind yourself with a sticky note, a text to yourself, a timer or anything else you can think of that will work for you.
- Talk someone about your new habit and have them check in with you about how it is going.
- Don’t allow exceptions
- Make one or two changes at a time. Changing everything at once can be hard.
Good Luck!