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“New year, new me,” is a mantra loved by many but few actually manage to implement this kind of change in their lives. If you are one of them, you want to make sure you stay on the bandwagon long enough that what was once a change is now just a part of your everyday life. Here are some top tips to ensure that you won’t backtrack on your new, healthier lifestyle.
Make It a Habit
One of the easiest ways to make a small change to your life is to make it into a habit. It takes roughly 66 days for you to form a new habit, but that’s only an average and it might take you less time or even longer. However, this is much better than the potential years you have spent on your previous life.
If you are committed to this change then make sure you leave time to implement it. There are also plenty of little reminders you can give yourself to ensure that the change is made. For example, if you are trying to remember your keys, place them in your bag or coat pocket the night before you leave in the morning. By always keeping them in the same place, you know you are unlikely to forget them. If you want to drink more water, find a reusable water bottle to carry around with you. That way you will always have water on you when you head out the door, and there are plenty of places out and about where you can fill up!
Don’t Beat Yourself Up About a Bad Day
It is extremely unwise to just think that you will just pick up a habit overnight and everything will change. This is exactly the kind of thinking which will lead to backtracking if you are not careful. Instead, you should approach a bad day as just a bump in the road.
You are going to want a takeaway instead of your meal prep, you are going to want to skip the gym instead of doing that session. So long as the bad habit you are trying to break isn’t something debilitating like substance addiction, it is OK for you to have a bad day. You just have to get through it and treat the new day like a fresh start.
If you are trying to overcome substance addiction, you should approach the matter a little differently; as a relapse could send you back to square one. There are many great apps out there to help you beat your addiction and stay sober no matter how bad your day darkens. Consider finding a community online which you can turn to for guidance and support on these difficult days.
Find a Replacement
One of the easiest ways to stop yourself from backtracking on a lifestyle change is for you to find a replacement to help you get through some difficult moments. These can be small and easy changes that you might not even notice.
For example, if you are trying to change what you eat, consider swapping out the certain aspects of your diet. If you eat a packet of crisps every lunchtime, swap that out for a packet of popcorn. Such a swap has much fewer calories but will fill you up just as much. If you drive to work when it isn’t that far away, consider walking or cycling when the weather is nice. That is an easy change and getting that small breath of fresh air will make all the difference to your mental health.
If you are a heavy smoker, you could consider switching to an e-cigarette to get your nicotine fix for the day. Vaping is not as invasive as smoking and the variety of different fluids out are much more pleasant than the smell of cigarette smoke. If you are interested in how vaping can help you, read this article: How Vaping Can Help You to Quit Smoking.
Make That Change and Keep It
Making changes to your lifestyle is always going to be a marathon and not a sprint. You need to approach the aspect of your life you want to change with a positive mental outlook and the drive and desire to change. These changes do not come by themselves and you may have to reach out to other people for support as you go through them. Surrounding yourself with a network of positive people who want you to see through your changes on your own terms.
However, the only person who needs to care about your change is you. With some hard work and a lot of determination, you will be able to see your lifestyle change for a healthier and better version of yourself!
