How to Keep Your Good Habits Alive When Life Gets Tough
It could only take one thought or problem to break down all the good habits you have exerted too much effort and time to build.
Building the good habits that would take you from one place to the other could take time and many iterations to build and maintain.
But life isn’t in a constant state where everything stays the same. Even yourself changes with time, and what matters to you one day may not be what matter to you today.
I am constantly building good habits to help me excel in my daily life, whether it’s work or personal life.
Working on several projects and maintaining several businesses to keep them going and running requires you always to be organized as much as you can and well-prepared to iterate when critical issues pop up and need immediate actions.
When this happens, all your daily habits and plans are messed up, and you have to reallocate them to other periods, but importantly you have to set the time and place for them.
The problem occurs for me when there is a severe problem that requires my full attention, many iterations, and work to pass the issue.
At that time, I found myself doing nothing except thinking and overthinking about how we would solve and pass this severe issue at hand.
During those periods, if I am not thinking and acting on the problem, I find myself drifting and skipping all my other practices and changing them for other things that would soothe my anxiety of thinking too much about the problem and let me think of stuff that doesn’t matter at all to me maybe like watching series or endless purposeless videos on social media platforms.
I found that this has happened to me many more times.
The habits I have built for myself give me a lot of joy and happiness when I keep doing them.
So not doing the habit means I would fall into the trap of self-sabotaging for wasting my time on meaningless stuff.
I won’t tell you that I have found the ultimate solution for that issue, but I found that doing those tips helps me a lot to maintain my habits in hard times.
Identify your core values and goals by writing down five whys for making the habit
It’s essential to be honest with yourself. It’s unrealistic to expect to feel motivated all the time. Motivation comes and goes — one day, you may feel driven, while the next, you may feel completely unmotivated.
To maintain consistency, you must be dedicated to your practice and understand the reasons behind your actions.
Write down five reasons why you want to be doing this particular habit.
For example, if you want to maintain the habit of working out the five “why‘s” would be something like this:
- I want to work out always to stay fit and have a healthy body.
- Being fit and healthy would help me achieve better results and outcomes in my work or studies and be more productive.
- Being fit and healthy would help me care for my loved ones and enjoy my time with them.
- I feel happy and less stressed after completing my workout.
- Staying in good shape gives me confidence in myself.
Be creative and write as many “whys” statements as possible. Then, select the five that resonate with you the most. It’s best to include both intrinsic and extrinsic “Why’s”.
Find support and accountability
Who can help you stick with your habits? Who can encourage you, inspire you, or challenge you? Having support and accountability from others can help you feel less alone and more connected. It can also help you stay on track, get feedback, and learn from others’ experiences.
You might find support and accountability from friends, family, mentors, coaches, or online communities.
For example, if you want to learn a new language, you might join a language exchange group, find a conversation partner, or enroll in an online course.
Be flexible and compassionate with yourself
How do you cope with setbacks or failures with your habits? How do you adjust to changing circumstances or needs?
Being flexible and compassionate with yourself can help you deal with challenges and difficulties without giving up on your habits. It can also help you recognize that perfection is not the goal but rather progress and improvement.
You might need to modify or adapt your habits according to your situation or mood or take a break when necessary.
For example, if you want to eat healthier, you might allow yourself some indulgences occasionally, or switch to simpler recipes when you’re busy or tired.
If you liked this article, don’t forget to clap, comment, and subscribe to my profile!
