Have you ever had a goal to add a habit and just had a hard time doing it? I see it a lot. Someone will come in and be really motivated to learn about various lifestyle changes that can help them decrease their pain and stress, increase happiness. And yet, it can be really challenging to make those changes.
We all know that there are things we could do to improve our health. And I would argue that we know WHAT many of the changes are:
Eat healthy
Drink enough water
Be active
Mediate,
Get good sleep
Find ways to manage stress
When we think about doing all of those, it’s too overwhelming. If we choose just one goal, make it REALLY simple, we’re more likely to achieve it and make it a habit. For example, if you want to mediate, start with 1 minute a day instead of 10 or add just 1 particular nutritious food into your diet. “The difference a tiny improvement can make over time is astounding. Here’s how the math works out: if you can get 1 percent better each day for one year, you’ll end up thirty-seven times better by the time you’re done.” James Clear
Now, HOW to make this a habit. James Clear author of Atomic Habits, says that habits need 4 things – a cue, a craving, a response and a reward. First you need a cue, something to trigger a reminder of NOW is the time to do this habit. I think that this is where most of us fail. My recommendation is to write a list (yes, either type it out of hand write it) all the different times / cues throughout the day that can act as a cue for your habit. These cues can be times, locations, events, other people or even emotional states.
Some examples include:
- As soon as you wake up, before you get out of bed.
- After you brush your teeth
- While you’re in the shower
- After going to the bathroom
- Each time you wash your hands
- Before / after eating or drinking
- Every time you get into or out of your car
- When you’re waiting (online for something to load on your computer, at a red light, for the meeting to start)
- Before or right after you check your email or social media
- When you clear the table
- After folding laundry
- Before going to bed
Once you have your list, decide which cue you think will be best.
Even though you have a cue, explore WHY you want to do that particular lifestyle change. This is where you can find the motivation, your reason for listening to the cue. Why or what do you want to be healthy for? This is your motivation.
So to over simplify, you want to make your cue obvious, you want to make the drive / motivation for your action to be attractive, the response / action / habit should be easy and the reward satisfying.
Here is my example. I recently learned that as we age, our thirst trigger decreases. This means that our body has to become more dehydrated in order for us to realize that we’re thirsty. As a result, one of my goals is to get into the habit of drinking more water. My cue is to have a full glass of water on my nightstand so that I can start the day off with a glass of water. It is one small simple step to drink more water from which I can build upon.
Acupuncture is one great way that we can keep living our best life. However our life style plays a huge role. So I’m curious, what is healthy habit you are proud of having incorporated into your life? What was the cue that worked for you? And how do you feel as a result? Or on the flip side, what is a life style change you want to start but are having a hard time with?