Jan 6, 2020
Today I am going to shed some light on how to stick to habits. Although I am zeroing in on meditation, this really applies to all new practices that you may want to form. The significant part is that a meditation habit actually feeds into all of the other habits, makes them easier to stick with and more productive. If you are looking to form an exercise habit, meditation helps with all of your body’s physiological systems, including your metabolism. If you are too tired to exercise, meditation helps with sleep. Ok, how about how difficult it is to exercise when you’re sick, oh good meditation improves your immune system too. Hate how you look in spandex? Meditation increases your confidence.
It all boils down to; knowing what you should do is one thing but committing to it is what is most critical. How many times have you made the same resolution year after year? So how is that working for you? Ok, I will shut up now, but you get the point. Stay with me, and in a moment, I will let you know how to start the meditation habit and stick with it!
Happy New Year! Alexa Z here, and one of my commitments in 2020 is to help you and motivate you to make this a great year. Today I will help you with habit and ask that you help me with something too…hit subscribe and leave a review. Not only does it make me smile but will help to build our tribe of tators (my word for cool meditators) – it takes a village, so help me build it ok?
January will be devoted to building the best you ever!
The time is now for starting new habits and getting pumped to succeed, right? I am sure you have heard that it takes 21 days or 90 to create a habit. The other day I heard 77 days. Well, the truth is that there really is no reliable research on how many days. The 21-day habit theory started with a plastic surgeon named Maxwell Maltz in the 50’s. It was referring to getting a nose job, and he found it took about 21 days to get used to seeing your new face. The discussion then grew to include things such as the feeling of a phantom limb after amputation, again 21 days, and so on. One person told another person, and the story grew. But it really isn’t a fact. The truth is some people might need two months, and some might need ten months. For now, don’t worry about it, and let’s just get started so we can succeed and celebrate.
What research is quick to point out is that accountability has a significant impact on sticking with a habit.
10 Tips to sticking to a habit
- Write it down –for example – I want to meditate 20 minutes twice a day
- Start small. Set yourself up for habit success, start with 5 minutes, heck maybe 2! Start with walking a few blocks before you run a mile right?
- Celebrate your success. In your calendar, give yourself some treats. After three days I get a bowl of ice cream, a new book on meditation, a puppy? Ok don’t go with a puppy
- Get excited about it – really sit down and think about why you want to learn to meditate. List 10 reasons for how it could improve your life. Refer back to it when you miss a day. Motivation is key to creating long term behavior changes. When motivation is high jump on it!
- Share the list with friends and family. Not only will they lend support, but you might convince them to join along with you.
- Ask people to check up on you. Tell them to put it in their calendar. “Hey Suzy, how is that meditation going?” Success is said to increase exponentially when you are held accountable!
- Keep a journal, and keep it simple. Insight timer, a checkmark in your planner?
- Take time to reflect – One of the videos (Michael Hyatt Full Focus Planner) I heard that 15 minutes of reflection time could boost productivity by 23% after only ten days. Think about it; when you reflect on what you are doing, you are connecting back to number 4 -get excited about it. Keep renewing your list of why you started this healthy habit.
- Post it on your mirror over your toothbrush (Brush, Spit, Meditate)
- An excellent old contest never hurts – the 7-day challenge
Now get to it and celebrate. Remember, you are your one-person study, and so far, everyone I know who creates this healthy habit has found their research to be quite successful.
From a client: 3 days into her practice “It feels like something has shifted already in a really positive way”
8 days after that: I missed days over the weekend again but started this again this morning – and to that I say hold tight another episode coming!