Old habits die hard right? Re-read that. OLD habits DIE hard, the point is they still die. Regardless if it was old habits or new habits they were habits formed and changed the way of a life cycle. Such a simple yet critical skill needed to better yourself. I am sure at this point you are thinking okay she will talk about how to obtain new habits or why it is important to start a habit. Well you are right! We wake up in the morning and brush our teeth (or at least I hope you do) because we want to have long lasting healthy, white teeth and good breath. But it didn’t happen overnight right? You woke up, and your guardian continuously reminded you to do so. In general you were making a habit of good hygiene.
However, I am not talking about making habits of drinking water and doing a face mask for self care. I am talking about making life changing habits for yourself, your character and your future as a whole.
For starters, make a habit of recognizing your emotions. Take time to listen to what you need personally and address it. Make a habit of taking time to face negative thoughts that can lead to a negative action. When a trigger occurs or a negative thought comes to mind. Learn to deal with it properly. Allow yourself to walk through it and decide what needs to be done to change that instant thought in the moment. That way the situation does not escalate and you fall into a depressive state or an anxiety attack. For example, my anxiety is triggered when I do not know what will happen next, after an argument with a love one. Or what will happen next in a nervous situation. Because I do not know the after plan I create endless scenarios in my head which raise my anxiety level, I start to hyperventilate and result in an anxiety attack. In order to form a new healthy habit, I must change how I think. I breathe deeply and remind myself that there are situations in which I can not control. I analyze the situation and how I feel about it. I tell myself what do I GET out of it or I get in tune with my emotions on the situation and instead of creating scenes I pause and meditate. At times I repeat the serenity prayer. This is a habit that lets me calm down and stops anxiety from escalating.
Another habit is learning to say no. Putting yourself first and being selfish with your time and being. I wrote a blog about this and I highly suggest you read in depth. There is in fact a healthy selfish way to be, and it doesn’t make you the bad guy to take care of your mental health by saying no. .
My favorite habit is meditation. Find time to sit in silence and write in a journal, or write poetry/music/stories; anything to pretty much focus inward. Even praying for 30 minutes helps build resilience and your emotional wellbeing.
All in all create a habit of having boundaries. Set a high standard, and know what you want in life and with people. Setting up boundaries with yourself and others protects your time and energy. This also goes back to focusing on your needs and what your positive energy should contribute to or be influenced by,
Creating self-discipline enables you to control your emotions, your actions and your future. This too is a habit where you stick to your boundaries and new healthy habits so you don’t push aside what you need physically, emotionally and spiritually. In essence, you have your self-care and mental health awareness on lock down and protected. Just as you are overprotected with sentimental things you should be over protected about yourself and happiness.
Lastly, consistency is key to conquering yesterday. Be consistent with your habits and how you treat yourself. Falling off the wagon with exercising is one thing but haven taken 10 steps forward and not be consistent can affect you and let you fall back to the start. You know WHERE you’ve been, and only you know WHERE you want to go. So begin making healthy changes and habits to continue being a better version of yourself.