Incorporating healthy habits and removing unhelpful ones might be simpler than you think. Two leading experts in the field of behaviour change believe old models of behaviour change (focusing repetition and willpower) are outdated. Instead, we can build habits by making small and incremental changes to create a feeling of success.
In order to be in control of change you have to start with awareness. By linking habits to a positive emotion and identity can be the key to forming new healthy habits.
Top tips on forming new habits (from James Clear, Author of Atomic Habits, and BJ Fogg, Author of Tiny Habits):
Find a habit you want to adopt and scale it down to it is super tiny. Apply the 2 minute rule - it should take 2 minutes or less to do
Pinpoint when and where the habit (naturally) fits in your routine
When you do the new behaviour, allow yourself to feel good about it, a feel of positive emotion (“celebration”) in the moment. Your brain will rewire and make it more likely that you will want the positive experience again in the future
Design and prime your environment for your desired habit. Make the cues for the desired behaviour obvious, for example if you want to read more, place a book on the coffee table and put the TV remote in a drawer; if you want to make better food choices, make them easy and accessible in the kitchen. Make good habits the path of least resistance
Shape your social environment around a group or tribe where your desired behaviour is the normal behaviour. People who share those values and principles. If you cannot find those groups then create one.
If you can work on these things then you will have designed a better system for habits and behaviour and reinforcing the kind of person you want to become and your identity.
Each unit of behaviour is part of a larger system. Building up the little habits is creating a larger system, building more power, momentum and energy to move to the desired identity and the person you want to become.
Top happiness habits from BJ Fogg:
Start every day, so when your feet hit the floor in the morning, as soon as you are standing up, say , "it is going to be a great morning, it is going to be a great day"
When you are frustrated by somebody (e.g. a spouse, child, bad driver), let that be your prompt to say "everyone is doing the best they can, nobody tries to screw up"
As soon as you turn on the shower, use that as a que to think of one new positive thing about your body, for example: my cut healed, my skin is stretchy. Soon you will start to appreciate new things about your body every day.
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