Are you looking for new and sustainable ways to improve your health and deepen your self-care? Then look no further than the power of a habit that you can grow, sustain and reap benefits from.
Habits, very much like plants in a garden, need tending, time, and many adjustments along the way. As you skillfully navigate, like plants, they grow and give you the benefits you desire.
If you’ve known us for a while, you’ve heard us say that there are no hacks to health. There are no shortcuts. But, if there was a hack, it would be about becoming a skilled habit builder. It would mean making those eventually unconscious actions, which little by little, build our lives, easy to create and sustain.
Think to a time when you were able to build a successful habit and stuck to it long term. What benefits did you experience? What did you end up learning about yourself? What did it show you about your nature? What do you imagine the cost would be to your life if you hadn’t developed that habit?
Just recently, I’ve incorporated a few simple, yet powerful healing habits. And it didn’t take long to do so. I started on a new herbal remedy plan, which requires me to steep the herbs from scratch daily. I started practicing with a new meditation teacher. I started watching each sunrise and sunset…
You might say, holy cow, that’s a lot, but I was able to incorporate these fairly fast within a week with no starting and stopping. You too, can learn to do that, and get in a solid habit streak mode, but in order to do so, you need to get to know yourself and learn what helps you build sustainable habits fast.
Is it joining a group of people who successfully practice what you want to learn?
Think of this as joining a gym, a club, a team or organization. It could mean starting your own group to help you practice your new habit.
Is it attaching a new habit to one you already practice?
Think of this as adding a glass of water alongside your morning cup of coffee. Or adding strength training to your yoga. Or some extra protein to your oatmeal? Or using a water-pick after flossing…
Is it combining a pleasant activity with the new habit?
For example Roland does his writing masterclass on the bike at the gym. The pleasant activity is the learning, and the new habit is the bike. I like the coffee place next to my doctor, so I have a nice latte before I see her. Win-win.
Is it tracking your habit and celebrating your milestones?
For some of us tracking a habit is what allows us to build it and keep at it. Roland tracked 4 years of calories on Calorie King back when he lost 110 lbs. I tracked 4 years of strength training workouts with my coach to find what my body needs to be strong and resilient. You can track water intake, log your stretching sessions, or even how often you walk with your friend around the local lake…Tracking apps and devices abound, so maybe it’s your FitBit that keeps you in check and motivated.
Is it making the habit emotionally meaningful?
I work with emotions all day, and I truly believe, that no matter what the habit is that we are trying to build, deep under, we are after a state, a combination of emotions, sensations, feelings, thoughts, and relations. So how do you feel when you are practicing your habit? Can you link how you want to feel with the habit you are building? That would be your inner winner combination.
Is it building unbreakable systems to make sure your habit sticks?
You can create an environment that prompts you to stick to your habit, for example you can place a glass of water and your supplements on the nightstand. Or, you can have a checklist you fill out every night, or you can have a habit buddy who checks in on you…whatever your system ends up being, remember that you can create it to work for you and the life you are building.
No matter how you learn to build sustainable habits of self-care, we find that the action and skill of building a habit itself has incredible merit.
– A habit lets you know yourself better and better as you practice it
– A habit empowers you to create positive change and be adaptable to life
– A habit is an anchor and creates structure for the future of your life
– An established good habit can lead to more self-confidence and continue to strengthen a right relationship with yourself
So what habit are you building now? And where can that success take you?
We love helping readers out, so if you have any specific questions about building your lasting health habits, come over to our free Facebook group and join the conversation!
Let’s make it stick, but do it together!