Habits define my life.
I realized this earlier this year.
Almost everything I do is a habit.
And I learned that I can create new habits out of the old ones. I read a book called “The Power of Habit” by Charles Duhigg, and it profoundly changed how I looked at what I was doing in my life. And I started changing habits, one day at a time.
I also figured out at the same time, that the way I was eating and working out were habits. So, I embarked on changing those habits as well. I started changing what I was eating and working out more. Things I knew would work.
What I didn’t do, was change the “keystone habit” that Charles Duhigg talks about in his book. The one or two habits that drive all the rest of the habits. My keystone habit is sleep. I know this because I took time to figure out what drives all the other habits and almost all of the ones I wanted to change, I do them when I am tired. Sleeping more would likely eliminate or at least lessen me being tired, and I might be able to change the other habits too.
But, you know what happens when I get stressed and don’t sleep? Regression.
I regressed in my habit change over the last 2-3 weeks. I was stressed at work, and one week, I had to work some long hours. I wasn’t sleeping as much. This week, I noticed a big change. I had been eating poorly for a couple of weeks, and I was starting not to feel so good. I wasn’t working out as much or moving as much, and now my body was sore, much more than usual. I started doing some bad habits that I had all but eliminated from my world and noticed the effects of them in a sharp increase in pain.
Yesterday, I realized all that had started happening. I was pretty mad at myself for starting all this up again, and I was so disappointed in myself.
But then I remembered that one of my Instagram gurus, @syattfitness, is always preaching the idea of knowing that you are going to regress. You are going to fall off the wagon, there will be times you slip into your old habits. The key is always to stop once you realize it and start doing the new habit again. And then do that over and over again. Because no one is perfect and the key to habit change is continuing even if you falter.
So, today, I got back on the wagon. I started doing the new actions of the new habits again. I am consciously trying not to do the old habits. And I am celebrating that I got started again.
I am going to go into this week with my head held high. Proud of the fact that I failed and started again. Embracing me for who I am, a human being who is doing the best that I can. And I will try to consistently get better. And I will accept that there will be ups and downs.
I will adult reluctantly!