Life

Habits are part of life. Some behaviors get locked in and become automatic. These may be good or bad habits. Even though you may not admit it, bad habits that range from inconvenient ones to seriously threatening ones have inculcated your life. 

How can you break a bad habit?

You may want to change. You also know that you need change, but you resist. It is because you are in your comfort zone. Here are a few steps to break bad habits and stop their reinforcement.

1. Become aware of your habits –

The first step is to be aware of your negative behaviors.  Try to find out what causes this automatic behavior and also those behaviors which you want to change. If you know what is behind those behaviors which contribute to bad habits, you can understand the triggers and can plan to resolve those.

2. Create a plan  –

Make a plan that involves goals for behavioral change. It should include strategies for minimizing habit triggers. A plan will help you break down unwanted bad habits, creating a new pattern in your behavior.

3. Take it slow and make small changes –

It is known that making a better habit is quite harder but breaking a bad one is much harder. Try to focus on one small habit at a time and trick yourself into changing that behavior. These might make a big difference in the long run.

4. Visualize the success –

Imagine yourself breaking the bad habit and indulging in desired behaviors. Practice this in your mind. Imagine a situation, where you are tempted to engage in performing a bad habit, but you chose not to do it. You chose the better option. This will help you reinforce positive behavior patterns. 

5. Change your environment –  

The surroundings around you can become a trigger for your bad habits. You may not have even noticed these. Change your scenery and see if the bad habits become less tempting. An example: Keep the junk food at a place that is quite less accessible and keep the healthy food in the front. This way, you can control the urge to eat junk food.

6. Try to replace them with good ones –

All of the habits have the same characteristics. Habits are created when a behavior is rewarded. You need to change the reward associated with that. Try an alternative action that is not boring. Do something which you want to do and love to do. This obviously results in a positive outcome, and it will be easier for you to make the switch.

7. Be patient with yourself –

You cannot break the habits overnight. It takes time. Don’t worry if the behavioral changes do not happen instantly. Be patient as it takes a while for your brain to adjust to a new type of behavior. 

8. Have an alternate plan –

You repeat the bad habits as these are loops. You need to disrupt this system and replace the bad habits with good ones. Know what triggers the bad habits; try to rewire the brain until the new habits are established. If not, you need to have another plan to break it. 

Finally, as you follow these steps, you realize the behavioral change. Know that this is a journey. There are chances that you might fall back into bad habits, but have faith in yourself that you will do it and achieve success in your life—download Joyscore App for more tips on wellness and healthy living.

Good habits are often difficult to build. You need to stick with them for the long term. It requires more effort to form new habits, but it is worth it. Here are a few steps wherein you can build better habits and break the bad ones.

Improve your habits with these 3 simple steps-

1. Make a plan

The first in building better habits is to identify the habit you want to form. Set a goal and work out all specifics of achieving that goal. Then identify some of the good habits that can be a part of achieving that goal. 

For example: If you want to shed some pounds in 4 weeks, you can set a habit of working out every day for at least an hour. 

Find out what motivates you to form this new habit. Good motivation can help you to succeed. Understand the potential benefits of forming a better habit. Start from a small habit. Just a small change can increase your chances of success. Finally, you should stick to it.

As mentioned in the above example, if you plan to work out, you cannot start exercising an hour immediately. You need to start with 10 minutes a day and then gradually increase. 

Be patient with yourself as you form a new habit. Some can adjust within few weeks, but some take months to inculcate these new ones. Give yourself some time to adjust to the new routine. 

Sometimes you may stumble along the way, but it is not failure. Understanding these obstacles can help you overcome them.

2. Implement the habit

You may have set your goals, but it is time to implement them. It is difficult to accept the new habits, but you can achieve this by making changes to your environment. If you are planning to exercise every day, try to get up early by 30 minutes. 

Be more aware of your behavior and become more mindful. This makes habit-forming easier. Inform others to hold yourself accountable for performing the new habits. Consider getting help from family/friends to help you to stick to the habit. Tracking your progress can help you stay motivated. You can use apps like Joyscore to track your progress.

3. Resist bad habits

“The best way to break a habit is to drop it” – Leo Aikman

Bad habits are ingrained and automatic. They are hard to break. To overcome these bad habits, you need to be aware of the habit. Keep a log of that habit whenever you indulge in that. Once you are aware of the bad habits, take steps to overcome those. It is also crucial to reward yourself once you overcome bad habits. Make sure the reward is something that is pleasurable and good. For example, if you are planning to cut red meat and you manage to resist the urge, you can reward yourself with a new book or a trip somewhere.

Finally, it is important to consistently practice better habits than considering the deadlines to do so. Try to focus on building a new identity and never miss the habit twice. This kind of mindset is beneficial.

If you miss the performance of habit, it is not a failure. It is quite normal. You can be a top performer only if you get back on the track quickly.

Thus, by practicing, you can improve your habits. Don’t stop; keep your journey moving forward towards self-improvement and a healthy lifestyle with better habits. Don’t forget to set a goal, track your progress, happiness, and improvements on a joyscore app.

Stress affects your health in many ways but is a part of your life. There are many causes for it so as many ways to relieve it. Learn to manage stress before it gets to be too much.

Did you know? 

• 33% of people feel extreme stress
• About 72% of people experience stress that affects their physical and mental health.

Source

Thus stress can take a toll on your well-being. Consider the following suggestions and inculcate them in your daily life to live stress-free.

Improve your health with these simple healthy habits: 

Regular exercise –

Stretch every day for some time. Your muscles would have become stiff and tires, which results in reduced body blood flow. Hence it is necessary to have the habit of exercising regularly.

Take a walk/run outside –

Spending time outside is important to healthy living. It relieves stress and strengthens your immune system. 

Enjoy whatever you do –

Do something that puts you in a good mood. It will affect positively for the rest of the day. Do something that you enjoy every day,  no matter how small.

Sleep well –

Lack of sleep is an indicator of poor health. It affects your stress levels. Get enough sleep to relieve it.

Have a balanced diet –

Most of the experts suggest that drinking tea calms the nerves. It also means you are consuming herbs that are known for relaxation. Having ginger as part of your diet also calms you down. It is considered a homeopathic stress reliever.

Connect with family and friends –

a little bit of fun and laughter with family and friends can do wonders. It relieves tensions. It helps your mind and body to be relaxed.

Just laugh –

laughter increases mood-enhancing endorphins. It helps in reducing stress-causing hormones. Relive your stress by watching a comedy, listening to jokes, or even by telling them!

Avoid unhealthy habits –

Avoid consuming alcohol, cigarettes, caffeine, and drugs. These habits are temporary ways to escape stress. They actually lead to an increased level of stress and have negative long-term effects.

Practice the slow breathing technique –

Oxygenate your body. One of the best ways to deal with stress is slow and deep breathing. It is the time-tested way to beat anxiety and stress. Try out this breathing technique if you are feeling stressed:

• Slowly inhale for air for 5 seconds
• Hold for 5 seconds
• Slowly exhale for 5 seconds
• Repeat the action

Identify the triggers and indications –

Identity what triggers stress for you. Your behavior might indicate whether you are stressed or not. When people are stressed, they bite their nails, sweat, or tap their feet. If you can identify these indicators, you can take a break and go for a walk/ take deep breaths. 

Thus, by practicing these habits you can live a calmer and fulfilled life. 

What are you waiting for? Start a good habit today and reduce your stress levels.

Download Joyscore App for more tips on healthy living and happiness. 

In this pandemic, life has become uncertain. Resolutions are fading and excuses have become a routine. Creating a new habit is hard in the beginning. It is the base on which the goals are built on. If you think your discipline has taken a toss, here are a few ways to stick to the habit.

What are habits?

According to James Clear, “Habits are small decisions you make and actions you perform every day”.

Did you know 40% of our daily behaviors are habits?

What are the rules to stick to it?

Start a small one

Have patience and start with a small part of the habit. Don’t try to do too much at once. Build on your progress. For example, if you plan a 5km walk every day at once, you can not walk for 5km. Instead, try out a km on the first day and 2km on the next and keep increasing. This will allow you to succeed and stick to the routine.

One habit at one time

Focus on a single habit at a time. Most people ignore this. It is easy to start more than one habit at once, but sticking to all of them is impossible. It requires undivided focus to stick to a new habit. If you are planning to take yoga lessons daily, stick to it. Don’t mix it with another social or work habit.

Make it daily but just once

Try out the habit only once a day, that too, for a minute or two. Once that habit is ingrained, you can increase the frequency. Do not try to overdo the habit. You might get tired or stressed because of this. 

Starting is important

All you have to do is just START. This is what matters in the beginning. If you are planning to meditate, just sit and be silent for a while. If you are starting a healthy diet, keep healthy snacks in front of you. If you want to write, just write the first sentence. Just focus on starting.

Enjoy while doing so

Most people make a habit which they hate and wonder why they can’t stick to it. It is important to have a positive mindset for making a habit. Perform a habit which you love. Find ways to enjoy making that habit and praise yourself for doing it. 

Do aim to miss but not two straight days

If you miss performing the habit a day, it is really fine, but do everything possible to not miss on the 2nd day. Do not let this mistake happen again. If you repeat the same, you are never going to get good at habits.

Evaluate the outcome of habit change

Be accountable to yourself regarding the habit change. Tell others about the change and ask them to keep you accountable. The likelihood of sticking to the habit will increase by about 50%.

If you need help with forming habits and maintaining them, download the JoyScore app.

Do you remember Newton’s first Law of motion? It states that if a body is at rest, or moving at a constant speed in a straight line, it will remain at rest or keep moving in a straight line at constant speed unless it is acted upon by a force.  You must be wondering why I’m stating the law of inertia. Well, after a long period of quarantine or staying indoors, maintaining social distancing has considerably slowed down body’s motion. The slowness and stress of dealing with the pandemic leads to procrastination. And you’re not alone.  

As the pandemic drags on way beyond what we expected, it’s getting difficult to get things done. Covid-19 has spawned a worldwide psychological crisis, And it is directly impacting one of human’s harmful tendencies: Procrastination. Experts say it is not a time management problem but an emotion management problem. And practicing mindful habits can help you get over procrastination, at least to some extent. 

Here are few strategies to overcome procrastination and create mindful habits:

Maintain a to-do list

Make a list of things you want to do this week/month/day. You can go old school and write on a chart paper and stick it on the wall, where you can see it every day. You get a sense of accomplishment as you see the list getting whittled down.  

Speak out self-motivating statements

That way you perceive a task can alter our motivation for completing it. You can repeat a few phrases to yourself, like “there’s no time like the present” or “the sooner I complete this, the sooner I can do something that I truly love.” You can put these are reminders on your phone, twice or thrice each day, and see the difference in your attitude. 

Break the task down into smaller pieces

This is the most effective and tested way to combat procrastination. Write all the steps involved in completing the task and recognise these steps in terms of time and efforts metrics. You’ll start to look at it as a manageable job that can be done with a reasonable amount of effort. 

Reward yourself when you accomplish a small goal

Once these small steps are panned out and completed, you can reward yourself by taking a break or calling up a friend, or treating yourself to ice cream, or it can be anything else. But be mindful about it, and don’t take long breaks. 

Don’t be too hard on yourself

Look at your accomplishments, at least once a week or by the end of the day. This will prevent you from being too harsh on yourself. Take a more positive approach consciously. 

Becoming mindful, especially in this very moment, is a very powerful thing. For the mind of a procrastinator, mindfulness is a simple place to be. A dedicated 2 or 3 minutes of regular practice can make the seemingly task bearable. It goes a long way in providing the advantages of meditation. If you want to start practicing mindfulness, JoyScore can help you! You can build mindful habits by completing suggested activities in the app, which are customized as per your needs. You need to fill a short in-app survey before you start. The app is scientifically backed and has many unique features which can help you increase your joy quotient. Download the app today and experience joy!

Self-care is essential for our health. Adequate self-care is required to be the best version of yourself. It is a practice that you enjoy doing.

What is Self-care?

Nourishing yourself is self-care. It may be physical, mental, and emotional. You must take care of your mind and body if you want it to run efficiently. You need to know how much physical activity you are doing.

Similarly, the way you think greatly affects your psychological well-being. Mental self-care helps you to stay mentally healthy. Emotional self-care includes coping skills to deal with uncomfortable feelings. It helps you acknowledge and express your feelings regularly.

Self-care can be taken in different forms. Here are few things which you can practice:

• Learn a new hobby
• Exercise
• Cooking/baking for yourself
• Express your feelings to the friends/family members
• Taking a walk/stroll outside

Here is 5 step approach towards self-care routine:

Understand your needs first

Self-care is pampering yourself. It is about meeting your needs. Before you start any activities, think about – what needs are to be met? What do I need right now?

This will help you to understand your basic needs. Instead of practicing a random self-care routine, you can exactly know what your need is and fulfill it straight away.

Create a schedule

The common reason for not involving yourself in self-care is lack of time. People who are struggling to engage in self-care often say “I don’t have time”. The remedy is to make time.

You know your daily schedule. Find a gap in that and add self-time and stick to it. If you find even a 10 min gap, utilize that for taking care of yourself by relaxing or taking deep breaths.

Prioritize

Whatever we do with our time is a choice. Usually, our priorities are not aligned with what we actually need. You have to fit self-care into your schedule on priority even though you are busy. Be it time for exercise/meditation, saying no to certain commitments, or your hobby time, you can fit these into your weekly routine if you prioritize.

Set the boundaries

You have to set boundaries about what you are and what you are not willing to do. Take a break from the busy schedule. Take some time off. This will rejuvenate you. The world will be the same when you return. You will be in a better position to deal with the challenges of the world.

Evaluate and practice regularly

Self-care is beneficial when you practice it regularly. Engage yourself in some kind of activity every day for at least 10minutes. This will be more helpful for you than the one that takes two hours once a month.

Evaluate the positive benefits that you gain through self-care. Reflect on your actions. If those have a positive impact on your health, then continue doing so.

Finally, self-care is not selfish. It is not a luxury as well. It is vital for your mental and physical well-being. Check out the Joyscore App to learn more.