Tell me if this sounds like you: you’ve finally had the epiphany moment. You’re tired of feeling like you have no control over your day and your health and you’re ready to finally make a change. So you sit down to make a list of all the new habits you plan to incorporate into your daily life.You’re going to wake up an hour and half earlier than normal, eat a healthy breakfast, go to the gym, stop snacking during the day, meal plan for the week, take the dog on a long walk, get to work earlier, eat a salad for lunch, make a delicious and nourishing dinner for the family, watch less TV, do an extensive skin care routine, floss your teeth, and go to bed by 10 pm. Tomorrow will be the first day of the rest of your life! Cut to some point the next day when it has ALL fallen apart, and you feel like a complete failure. Any of this ring true for you? It sure does for me! I’ve played this little game with myself over and over again with the same result; disappointment. But you see the issue, right? For some reason when we finally decide it’s time to make a change, we want to REALLY change. We live in a society that values high performance and quick fixes and it shows in our relationship to behavior change.
The truth is, it’s unreasonable and just plain silly to expect ourselves to completely change our habits and behaviors over night. The inability to become a completely different person from one day to the next does NOT mean you are a failure, it means you’re not a robot! Change isn’t always easy, but it’s possible if you’re willing to start slow and take your time. After reflecting a little bit on my own experiences, I’ve come up with 5 relatively simple habits that really pack a punch and can help you feel more in control of your day.
Stay off of Social Media
Oh boy, this one is hard for me. I’ll be the first to admit that I have an unhealthy relationship with my phone. Not only do I feel a compulsive need to check my notifications as soon as I wake up, but there is something strangely comforting about lazily scrolling through social media. I used to do this every morning and found that it really effected my mood, focus, and productivity throughout the day. I’ve recently been able to mostly kick this habit, however, I feel like I kind of cheated. Fortunately (and unfortunately) our recently adopted puppy is an early riser and once she’s up, she demands that we all get out of bed! It wasn’t the easiest way to kick a bad habit, but it worked! Not only do I wake up much earlier now, but I am forced to get out of bed almost right away. Obviously, not everyone has a 50 lb puppy that will body slam them if they don’t get out of bed right away. Something I recommend trying is simply putting your phone across the room before going to sleep at night. When you wake up in the morning, and feel the instinct to reach for your phone, take a few deep belly breaths instead.
Make your bed
This is a game changer! I NEVER used to make my bed. Why would I make my bed if I’m just going to mess it up when I got to sleep at night? Honestly, there is just something magical about making your bed in the morning. It’s become something that I, weirdly, look forward to doing when I get up. Maybe it sounds silly, but it almost feels like I’m doing something kind for myself by taking the time to make my bed. It’s like I’m giving myself something pretty to look at throughout the day, as if I were to buy myself flowers just because. It’s also a daily visual reminder to myself that I am capable of making permanent change! It takes me about 2 minutes each morning, but it really does influence my whole day.
Try to Move your body 1st thing
This is another habit I’ve adopted thanks to my pup. After being relatively still for 7 plus hours, it feels so good to get in some dynamic and purposeful movement. For me, this means taking my dog on a quick 15 minute walk. Not only does it get my blood flowing, but it gives me a chance to center my thoughts and reflect on what I want my day to look like. It gives me the momentum I need to get going and be productive. A great way to ease into movement in the morning is to do some simple stretches in bed. Here’s a great article that outlines some really great stretches to get you moving.
Journal
Journaling isn’t something I commit to doing every day, but I find it really helpful on days when I’m feeling negative emotions and can’t figure out why. I usually keep it to one page in a notebook, but I try to let myself write whatever I’m thinking, even if it doesn’t make sense. Often times, something will end up coming out onto the paper that explains why I’m feeling a little off. Then I can acknowledge it and move on. I recommend starting with committing to one sentence. That’s it! Think of a sentence or phrase that sums up how you are feeling in that moment and write it down. It may lead to more, or it may not. Either way, you’ve taken a moment to focus inward. When you’re done, leave those thoughts with your journal and move on with your day. I’ve found that it’s a great way to purge my negative and anxious thoughts so that I can focus on my day.
Do the difficult things first
I learned this one from my husband. When you make a to do list for the day, pay close attention the the items that you’re especially dreading; those are the things you should do FIRST! I am an expert procrastinator and I can make up a pretty impressive and compelling excuse for avoiding just about anything. I promise you, you will feel like an absolute BOSS when you get those things done! Whether it’s a phone call, a difficult conversation, a project you’ve been putting off starting, make that thing number 1 on your list. Putting these things off makes them grow bigger and badder in your mind and distracts you from everything else you need to do. Don’t waste any more time thinking about them, just get in there and get them done! It’s likely that you’ll be surprised by how much easier they were to accomplish than you built them up to be. And it’ll make everything else you have to do that day seem like a breeze!
So that’s it! Five simple habits that don’t require much time or effort, but really have the potential to change your day. Don’t feel like you have to implement all five of these at the same time. Maybe pick one to work on for a while and then when you gain some confidence in your habit hacking ability, add in another. Positive change is possible and attainable, especially if you can learn to work smarter not harder! Give some of these a try and let me know how they go!
Want to talk more about how health coaching can help you make healthy habits a permanent part of your lifestyle? Contact me about a free 30 minute consultation call to see if 1:1 coaching is right for you.