Mindful habit change strategies
There’s no shortage of information floating around on how to live a healthier, happier life.
The generally accepted formula includes some combination of a balanced diet, water, sleep, exercise, time in nature, growth, meaningful work, connection and enjoyable hobbies.
But implementing these elements into our busy lives is often easier said than done.
Understanding how to change behaviours is a necessary, but often overlooked requirement for getting us from where we are to where we want to be.
This article covers 7 specific strategies, grounded in behavioural science and mindfulness, for adopting supportive habits that stick.
Know your why
Lovingly reframe goals
Subtract before adding
Keep it manageable
Be absurdly specific
Anticipate challenges
Reflect, and keep reflecting
1) Know your why
Having a clear sense of why changing a habit is important to you is a necessary starting point. Consider how a particular habit change supports your personal values and the broader vision you hold for your life. This step provides you with a sense of purpose that can fuel your habit change journey.
2) Lovingly reframe goals
Shame often comes into play when we consider habit change. We associate our desired habit change with a finger-wagging “should”. I love to reframe each goal / target as a “commitment to yourself”. Through this simple reframe, you shift your mindset from one of shame to one of self-love.
3) Subtract before adding
I can not overemphasize the value of spaciousness when it comes to habit change. When we’re in the trance of busyness / survival mode, we’re less inclined to adopt behaviours that will benefit our future self. It’s important to open up space and energy for new behaviours. This could look like committing to some screen-free time, eliminating certain activities from your calendar, saying “no”, delegating a task or otherwise reducing your workload.
4) Keep it manageable
Set yourself up to win. Make the change feel like it will be easy to achieve. As you build trust in yourself, you can stretch the target to be more ambitious.
In the same vein, be modest in the number of changes you attempt to make simultaneously.
5) Be absurdly specific
Be abundantly clear about when, where and how you will enact the desired habit. I mean absurdly specific. Here’s an example of what it looks like to be absurdly specific. You should be able to visualize exact details of what it will look like to adopt the habit.
“I will drink 8oz of water each morning before getting dressed. I will place my blue water bottle in the ensuite bathroom before bed each night and fill it / drink it immediately after brushing my teeth in the morning. If I forget to leave the bottle in my room, I will go immediately to the kitchen, fill a glass and drink my 8oz before doing anything else.”
6) Anticipate challenges
As you visualize yourself enacting the new habit, be explicit about what could get in your way. Trust that your willpower will ebb and flow. Design systems that will support you so you’re never relying on willpower alone. Establish a clear plan for how you will respond to obstacles and setbacks. For example, you might establish some specific conditions under which you will allow yourself to skip on the habit.
7) Reflect, and keep reflecting
Set up a process for reflecting on the effects of the change you’re making. Notice how you feel when you enact your desired habit. Also notice what you experience when you don’t uphold the commitment(s) you’ve made to yourself.
Your reflective practice can include journalling and/or deliberately discussing the change you’re working towards with a friend, loved one or coach.
Reflecting on the effects of honouring a commitment to yourself can provide the reinforcement you need to keep going. It may also lead you to make additional, supportive changes.
Just as importantly, reflecting on the times you don’t uphold a commitment can provide valuable information on underlying beliefs or tendencies that may be getting in your way. Once limiting beliefs or tendencies are brought to surface, you have the power to choose whether or not they are serving you.
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These 7 strategies, supported by mindfulness-based reflective practices, illuminate a path to adopting supportive habits in ways that feel compassionate and empowering.
There are some great books that have helped shape my understanding of behaviour change and have informed the content above.
How to Change by Katy Milkman shares evidence-based strategies for changing behaviours, grounded in behavioural science.
Atomic Habits by James Clear is a simple read that discusses many of the strategies discussed above using relatable examples.
Better Than Before by Gretchen Rubin discusses some of the different archetypes that people fall into when it comes to changing habits and provides supportive strategies.
I hope these strategies support you in bringing greater intentionality into your life. If you’d like more personalized support on your journey to make changes, I’d be honoured to work with you.