Replace Bad Habits with Healthy Rewards
http://www.careerfeed.net/articles/11860/1/Replace-Bad-Habits-with-Healthy-Rewards/Page1.html
Laura Speek
Laura Speek is the creator of Journals for Positive Change, a unique series of "guided journals" to promote personal growth. Her experience in wellness and self-transformation support her valuable insights and highly effective self-improvement strategies. Send an email. By Laura Speek
Published on 02/19/2010
Positive change often involves quitting or giving up something. Increase your chances for success by replacing bad habits with healthy alternatives.
Are you someone who can stick to a healthy program all day long only to undo your hard work by giving in or overindulging at night? Do you engage in unhealthy activities as a way of comforting yourself? Do you have difficulty balancing your health program, being good for a few days but then falling off the wagon?
For many people, making positive changes involves giving up something. For example, if you want to lose weight, you may decide to stop eating desserts or other foods that you love. If you decide to quit smoking or break some other bad habit, what will you do instead?
Most people focus on what they are going to stop doing, but they fail to look at what they will do as an alternative. What will fill the void? What healthy habits will you try and build?
Healthy people reward themselves in healthy ways. If you keep sabotaging yourself with unhealthy rewards, it's time to make a positive change. It's time to put some planning and energy into developing healthy rewards that replace your old bad habits.
This is no easy task, but it is an essential part of developing a long-lasting healthy lifestyle. Journaling is a wonderful tool for identifying healthy rewards that might work for you and for keeping track of your progress.
Begin by setting aside a few minutes of "me time" every day where you can just sit quietly and get centered. Use this time to strengthen your commitment to healthy living. Select some healthy rewards to develop. Some ideas include:
Taking a luxurious, aromatic bath or shower
Enjoying a cup of tea or coffee
Reading a book or catching up on internet blogs
Meditation or prayer
Deep breathing exercises
Writing in a journal
Listening to music (perhaps with scented candles burning)
Dancing, exercising or playing a sport you love
Doing puzzles or computer activities for a preset amount of time
Getting a massage or backrub
Treating yourself to a spa service such as a facial or manicure
Cuddling with a significant other, child, pet or stuffed animal
Talking to a friend, especially someone who supports your positive change goals
Taking a walk
Focusing on what's good in your life
Reliving the best moment of the day
Having a good laugh or a good cry
Working on a hobby or craft project
Stopping to look at nature and appreciating the beautiful and complex world we live in
Think of healthy rewards that, when repeated over time, can give you a real sense of comfort and satisfaction. It takes conscious effort and repetition to build new habits. Don't quit before the miracle happens!
Commit to practicing your healthy alternatives enough times that you begin to look forward to them because they become comfortable and they really take you to a place of inner peace and satisfaction.
For many people, making positive changes involves giving up something. For example, if you want to lose weight, you may decide to stop eating desserts or other foods that you love. If you decide to quit smoking or break some other bad habit, what will you do instead?
Most people focus on what they are going to stop doing, but they fail to look at what they will do as an alternative. What will fill the void? What healthy habits will you try and build?
Healthy people reward themselves in healthy ways. If you keep sabotaging yourself with unhealthy rewards, it's time to make a positive change. It's time to put some planning and energy into developing healthy rewards that replace your old bad habits.
This is no easy task, but it is an essential part of developing a long-lasting healthy lifestyle. Journaling is a wonderful tool for identifying healthy rewards that might work for you and for keeping track of your progress.
Begin by setting aside a few minutes of "me time" every day where you can just sit quietly and get centered. Use this time to strengthen your commitment to healthy living. Select some healthy rewards to develop. Some ideas include:
Taking a luxurious, aromatic bath or shower
Enjoying a cup of tea or coffee
Reading a book or catching up on internet blogs
Meditation or prayer
Deep breathing exercises
Writing in a journal
Listening to music (perhaps with scented candles burning)
Dancing, exercising or playing a sport you love
Doing puzzles or computer activities for a preset amount of time
Getting a massage or backrub
Treating yourself to a spa service such as a facial or manicure
Cuddling with a significant other, child, pet or stuffed animal
Talking to a friend, especially someone who supports your positive change goals
Taking a walk
Focusing on what's good in your life
Reliving the best moment of the day
Having a good laugh or a good cry
Working on a hobby or craft project
Stopping to look at nature and appreciating the beautiful and complex world we live in
Think of healthy rewards that, when repeated over time, can give you a real sense of comfort and satisfaction. It takes conscious effort and repetition to build new habits. Don't quit before the miracle happens!
Commit to practicing your healthy alternatives enough times that you begin to look forward to them because they become comfortable and they really take you to a place of inner peace and satisfaction.