First, what is a habit?
Habit means something we do the same, all the time.
But why is it important in stress management?
During the Savannah, at about 20,000ish years ago, we live in the caves and hunt for food.
We were only equipped with 3 instincts, flight, fight, or freeze in order to fight for survival.
We hunt by the day, we sleep by the night. But there is a certain awake and sleep pattern steered by our internal clocks – the circadian rhythm.
The circadian rhythm, this system wants us to have regularity with sleep and eat and help biology perform best by making things into a routine as the way to go.
Smart, isn’t it? How biology works, us having habits so we don’t drain ourselves the energy when we do things we’re used to doing.
We just do what we do without needing to think so much or exert a lot of energy because once a thing becomes a habit – it seems so easy to be done.
ARE HABITS GOOD?
Habits are generally very good as they help us to an easier life where we do not have to think of every step we take.
An example is a morning routine, imagine the stress if we have to regularly think about every move we’re gonna make after waking up?
“I will get out of bed, then I will go to the bathroom to pee, shower, I will find my towel, I will get dressed, etc., etc.”
Imagine these details if you still have to think of them before you can do them??
So habits make life easy, right?
BUT WHY DOES IT SEEM HARD NOW?
Because unlike before where the only threats were the animals that would eat us…
Our surrounding has greatly evolved. We are not surrounded by wild animals anymore but by work stresses, financial or relationship challenges – things that cannot be solved anymore by habits, things that require thinking.
STILL, HABITS ARE STILL NUMBER 1!
Despite the above-mentioned, I’d say that habits are still the number 1 way to go today.
They make our basic life so so much easier and save us so much energy.
I would even say that many people would benefit from making more habits to go from
In our workplaces it is gold to have habits and communal structures to base all the basic actions on, setting the rules and making clear instructions, then showing them to new people in the organization so they too can get these habits so things will move smoothly.
FROM ROUTINES TO RITUALS
If you do get good routines and you keep doing them and they serve you they will turn into rituals – routines you don’t want to live without – making things flow even better.
BUT EVEN HABITS REQUIRE CHANGE
When the routines and habits don’t serve you any longer they will be a burden. They will start your stress system – knock on your back and say “Hello, I feel unease and all these stress hormones have started to run around in my bloodstream – do something!!!
The problem now is that the master in your head will keep saying – do as you always have done – we need to save energy – just keep on.
Now you need to make an active decision – use your willpower to find new ways to tackle the problem and find a new way that works better for you.
It may be some major changes in your life, or at work?
And maybe you, now when I say it can be tough – you have started to get cold feet – IS THIS REALLY POSSIBLE?
I know your instinct tells you to stay where you are because that’s where you will feel safer.
Don’t worry, it is possible if you know how! To help you get that picture of what you can do, I want to introduce you to a new way of thinking – a model of how you can see these changes work.
Remembering this can work as an anchor to stay on track.
We are wired to want everything to be easy. When we wave the magic wand, everything should fall in place, just like that. Because we long for success and happiness all the time, don’t we?
Well, that is not how it works! But it IS possible to make changes in your habits. It is even easy if you know how to. And this way of thinking works for everything you change – at work or at home.
I see Changes in life as an outer space rocket taking off. At first, the gravity is extremely strong; it takes a lot of fuel to get the rocket taken off from the ground. When it is up and comes to the outer layers of our atmosphere it goes easier and when it is out there, in the free space, it just dances away.
It is the same with Changes in life. They can be extremely hard in the beginning and you need all your willpower to not just give up and do “as usual” but they get easier the longer you stick with them.
AIM FOR A MONTH
Four weeks is said to be the time needed for a new habit to stick. It is also important what you promise to yourself.
NO OVERPROMISING
Most people tend to overpromise to change everything at once, and they think of what other people say they should change. It is just not possible to do it that way.
ONE STEP AT A TIME
You may plan a lot of changes but the only way to succeed is to make one small change at a time. And then the next one, and the next one.
Since each change takes about four weeks that add up to the possibility of a lot of changes in a year.
Also, when you start doing small changes the right way, you will see the magic happen. So many other things will follow with change just because of your new actions.
To make it even easier and fun you can tell people about what you are up to and that will work as accountability too!
LOVING THE LAST MINUTE
If you have a tendency to procrastinate when change is on the table – you are not alone. Most people dread change!
But also remember – it isn’t going to be easier or better or faster if you delay acting for change – it will still take those 4 weeks until you get at ease with your new habits – so procrastination is only chowing the problem ahead of you, so why not just get it done? “Just do it” – as Nike says!
If you’re asking why even habits change…
Just remember one of the most famous lines: “Change is the only constant thing in this world.”
If you do not know where to start or feel hard to do on your own, get yourself a mentor or check HERE to see if you’ll feel like we’re a good fit.
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To your success and keep smiling,
