New Year, New You!

I think it’s fair to say that 2020 was a year of pivots and adjustments for the masses and i’m sure many would agree those pivots yielded challenges. Some would even agree with the statement, “Goodbye and good riddance to 2020!” Some of us used the pandemic to slip up on our better-informed habits, thinking how long could this possibly last? I will stop ordering pizza for dinner once my gym opens back up again. 10 months later we might be feeling a little disappointed in ourselves. But don’t fret because with all endings and new beginnings, it’s an opportunity to hone in on better habits and overall self-improvement. What better time than the beginning of a new year and with the acceptance that we might have to adopt healthier habits, despite our “normal” routine being disrupted. Unlike the cliché of every “new years resolution” of setting lofty and sometimes unrealistic goals, let’s try a small and steady behavior change so we don’t burn out by March. We have combined concepts from goal-setting principles and a highly recommended book, Atomic Habits, to provide you with 10 helpful hints.

1. It’s better to make a few small changes than one big one, over time. For example, say you will put away 3 items per day, rather than saying you will clean your room every day.

2. Making consistent 1% improvements in behavior, so that over time these will compound into larger, positive behavior change.

3. Be patient– small changes may appear to make a minimal difference until you reach a critical threshold, where they become much more obvious (i.e., you have to eat healthy over the course of several days/weeks in order to notice your clothes fitting better).

4. Engaging your identity in habit-change is the most effective mindset. (i.e., I run versus I’m a runner).

5. If you’re having a hard time starting a positive habit, identify a healthy or neutral reward as the incentive for completing the habit. (i.e., I will go to the beach or call my friends after I complete my workout).

6. Give yourself multiple incentives on different levels to increase your desire to form new habits. (i.e., exercising– external reason is to look better; internal reason is to feel better).

7. Make habits easier and more efficient. Want to have a smoother morning? Prepare your breakfast and select your clothes the evening before.

8. Make habits enticing by remembering why you’re doing them.

9. If you struggle with temptation, be mindful of triggers. For example, if you know getting into your bed leads to you not accomplishing tasks, refrain from getting into your bed for anything other than sleep and intimacy.

10. If you fall off the wagon, don’t freak out, just get back on the horse. It’s better to slip up for one hour than one day, one day than one week, one week than one month, one month than three months. I think you get the point we’re trying to make here!

Most importantly, don’t forget: behavior change and self-improvement are part of an individualized, lifelong journey which consists of trying, learning, adjusting, and incorporating, as needed. With all slip-ups, you learn and nothing is ever lost because you’re not starting from the beginning, you’re starting from experience.

By Dr. Roufail