Your Resilience Habit
Your resilience is defined by your habits because 95% of everything we feel, think, and do is a result of our habits. Our most critical habits may seem small and inconsequential, but repeated over time, they have huge results. See if this sounds familiar:
You hit the snooze button one too many times after staying up late watching crime shows the night before. Since you didn’t lay out your clothing, you realize your black jacket is still at the cleaners which means your planned outfit won’t work. With no time for breakfast, you grab a latte and bagel on the way. Traffic is heavier than usual and you show up to your first meeting a few minutes late feeling unprepared and frustrated.
These choices become habits that affect your outlook and overall well-being for the entire day. Habits like getting up 30 minutes earlier to walk, making your own lunch, and planning to arrive early to every destination help you reach your goals to lose weight, get healthy, or decrease your stress.
We resist starting or stopping even the smallest habits because we resist change. Even if it’s for our own good, change is uncomfortable, unfamiliar, and sometimes just too much trouble!
Here are 3 ways to get you started to create your resilience habit:
- Write it down
List 3 existing habits you want to keep
List 3 habits that you want to let go of
List 3 habits you want to begin - Tell someone
Engage an accountability or support partner that you can share your progress with on a weekly basis. This can be a coach, advisor, or a trusted friend. - Track it
Schedule specifically what, when, and where you will carry out your habit and check it off after you complete it. Habits require practice to develop, so give yourself permission not to be perfect.
Begin your resilience habit right now. Start with one seemingly small thing on your list, like going to bed earlier, making a workout date with a friend, or writing down everything you eat and build on it from there. It’s the little things, over time that will move you toward your goals and contribute to your positive outlook and overall sense of well being along the way.