Cultivating Success: The Science of Positive Habits
We’re creatures of habit. All of us have routines - from waking up and brushing our teeth to having our favourite cereal before work.
Still, we struggle to form healthy habits.
Around 43 percent of our everyday actions are repeated because we’re thinking about something else. Morning routines that are put into place to save effort, we’re distracted thinking about an email that needs to be sent when starting work for the day or a doctor's appointment that can’t be missed.
If you are comfortable with your routine, incorporating a healthy habit is harder out of fear of disruption. Behavioural scientists believe that good habits fail because the person putting them in place is putting too much pressure on themselves. At the start of the year, people will decide on a new resolution that’s often sudden, so they are not committed to making it stick.
Good habits are often purposely put into place and require the effort and motivation to keep them. Starting small is important when putting healthy habits into place - for example, adding vegetables into your usual meals, or going on walks before they become runs. Habits form faster when we do them more often, so setting goals to implement a good habit is more effective.
And habit formation begins with a cue - a trigger which can be physical or internal. An example is feeling bored and looking for a way to occupy the mind and once the habit has started, the cue is followed by a routine. Each time you complete the routine you feel a sense of accomplishment which leads to the reward.
A supportive environment helps put good habits into place. For example, if you want to learn Spanish, get into the routine of doing a quick Spanish lesson with a friend each morning to monitor your progress. Want to start running? Join a running club for beginners. Did you know mental effort is contagious? A study found that doing a task alongside another person who is dedicated will make you feel more confident in your progress.
Have you tried any of these healthy habits? Dry January, veggie dinners, refusing plastic bags, and phoning a friend - are all habits that sound simple enough. However, it’s important to address why healthy habits can take time to develop and why positive thinking and motivation are important alongside celebrating small wins. When you reward yourself, no matter how big or small, you stimulate your brain which leads to you feeling a sense of achievement. Once you start feeling rewarded with your habit, you will likely want it to stay.
Putting too much pressure on yourself to maintain a good habit is one of the main reasons why it can be easier to adopt unhealthy habits, as they require less effort. Building good habits is one of the main aspects of personal growth, which takes time. Some of us can take up to 18 days to form a habit, others need at least half a year. Patience is key to habit formation.
You’re more likely to focus on a good habit if you acknowledge the positives of it over the negatives. By eating healthier instead of not being able to eat your usual meals, you can focus on the benefits of trying new foods and the overall reason why you want to eat healthier. While there will be setbacks in your progress, thinking positively and remembering your motivation for eating healthier will help the habit become part of your daily routine. Positive thinking boosts happiness and decreases stress, which allows the brain to think more strategically and remember why a healthy lifestyle is important.
Resilience applies to our success and failure. The formation of healthy habits will take time which can lead to demotivation and a sense of failure, but resilience and bouncing back help you achieve the goal of healthy habits.
Why not start the year off right by taking part in the Resolution Revolution? Here at OnHand, we’re encouraging everyone to pick up new healthy habits that are great for yourself and the planet!
Not signed up yet? Come and talk with us today to maximise engagement and purpose your workforce.
