It’s the first week of February, and it’s a good time to check in on our habits.
Habit. A settled or regular tendency or practice, especially one that is hard to give up.
– Oxford Languages
When the new year started, did you make goals and resolutions? Or did you say, that’s not for me, I’ll just continue as I normally do?
Goals and resolutions are a great idea to motivate us, but who we are is a product of what we do, and our habits are what we do. Does that make sense? What you do every day is really what you are saying to yourself (and the world) that you want to be.
The reason this idea came about for me is because, I let go of some of my routine healthy habits as I moved and set up my new home. I felt like I wanted my place set up as soon as possible, so I was just focused on getting things out of boxes and putting them away, focused on getting the furniture I needed, focused on taking care of all the little things that need to be done when you move. When I did that, I let some of my good habits slip.
For example, I started eating more prepared food and less whole foods that I cooked myself… because it was easier. I noticed that I woke up in the morning and set to work instead of taking time for my mindfulness and yoga practice… because I wanted to get my house set up.
This might be okay for a day or two, but what happens when you let your self-care habits slip for days and days… well, then you create new habits that are not necessarily as healthy.
I realized I wasn’t feeling as upbeat as I normally do, and then it dawned on me… I had skipped my movement practice for three days in a row.
James Clear mentions in his book Atomic Habits, that “Every action you take is a vote for the type of person you wish to become. No single instance will transform your beliefs, but as the votes build up, so does the evidence of your new identity.”
I want to be a person who takes care of herself. So, I needed to get my yoga and healthy eating habits back. But, sometimes that is easier said than done. So, how do you get to a place where you are practicing healthy habits that reinforce the type of person you want to become?
Answer: Bit by bit, day by day, moment by moment.
This is where a mindfulness practice is very helpful. First think, I am the type of person who takes care of myself. Then, in each moment, you can think do I want to be the type of person who binges on chocolate chip cookies and then feels yucky from the excess sugar in my body? Or do I want to be the type of person who eats food that gives me energy and nourishment? Finally, you can decide, oh that’s right, I am the type of person who takes care of myself, so I will choose the more healthy option.
Each moment you have a choice. And if you make those choices mindfully, soon enough, you can develop new habits, or bring back the positive ones that you may have let go.
I urge you to release self-judgement as you make these choices. The key is to not get upset at yourself if you don’t always make the healthiest choice. Because, you will always have the next moment to choose again.
What habits do you want to cultivate for yourself today?
May you have peace within,
Julia
