Are you the healthiest and happiest you can be? The honest answer is probably not. So many of us don’t prioritise our health and happiness because we’re too busy or simply don’t know where to start. It’s usually only when something goes wrong, that we give our health and wellbeing the attention it deserves. The truth is if you want to be happier and healthier, it’s going to require a little intentional action on your part, but the long-term rewards will far outweigh the effort. So, what’s stopping you?
Health, who cares?
In 2011, I had a bit of a wake-up call that my health (mental, physical, emotional) was something I needed to be proactive about, rather than something I could keep taking for granted. Things weren’t going particularly well personally or professionally at the time, and I found myself struggling. Everything turned around once I discovered I could play an active role in my everyday life and actually improve my wellbeing, build my resilience, stress less and live with more ease. For that to become possible, it was time to prioritise my health and take better care of myself.
Once I flipped my perspective on my health and decided to make my wellbeing a top priority, things began to change for the better. I didn’t magically have any more time in my day or buckets of extra energy up my sleeve, but deciding to be proactive rather than reactive to life’s circumstances was the shift that needed to happen. I became clear on how I wanted to feel, and I set out to make that happen using the smartest, simplest strategies I could find. Choosing to make a change is when the magic starts to happen.
Choosing to make a change is when the magic starts to happen.
- Annika Rose
ChangING your behaviour for the better
So how exactly do you change habits of a lifetime and build better behaviours into your day? Researcher James Prochaska specialises in behaviour change and understanding what it takes to pick up and maintain healthy behaviours as individuals and whole populations. Through his work, Prochaska discovered that behaviour change is a process that unfolds over time as you transition through a sequence of stages. Positive transformation and long-lasting change is possible when you move through five distinct stages of change:
Pre-contemplation - You’re unaware of any issues and have no intention to change your behaviour.
Contemplation - Now you’re aware change is needed but you aren’t committed to taking action just yet.
Preparation - You’re gathering information and forming a plan (which will be crucial to your chance of future success).
Action - You’ve chosen to commit time and energy - this is where the change happens.
Maintenance - This is the stage where you keep going and are motivated by the gains you’re making.
(If you’re interested in finding out more about the Prochaska’s process of intentional behavioural change, you can do so here).
Identifying which stage you’re at when it comes to your wellbeing can be a useful place to start. For me, once I’d done enough thinking, preparing and had reached the point of taking action, I found the following five steps super helpful to maintain momentum and keep up the healthy habits in my everyday life.
5 STEPS TO HEALTHY HABIT SUCCESS
1. | GET CLEAR |
Determining exactly why you want to work on your wellbeing is definitely step 1. How important is your health and happiness to you? Identifying this is what’s going to get you started off on the right track.
In my case, I decided I wanted to intentionally make time for wellness rather than inevitably be forced to take time to focus on illness. I could make better choices that would leave me feeling better and support me to thrive. That’s what drove me to do things differently moving forward, I didn’t like where things were heading and I craved positive change.
2. | BE REAL |
My schedule was equally as busy as before and I had just as many demands to deal with. To make the changes I wanted to, I had to be realistic. The change wasn’t going to happen overnight, but it was going to happen if I was committed and somewhat consistent with making effort. I decided I was going to start by meditating, and that was something I could do for ten minutes a day, three to four times a week. By starting off simply, I was being realistic about what I was signing myself up to, and I could make my wellbeing goals work well for me, and build things up accordingly over time.
3. | SCHEDULE IT IN |
In my world, things that get scheduled get done! If you’re the same then you will know that the best thing you can do to support yourself is to look ahead and schedule sensible time slots where you’re actually going to take the action you’re choosing to commit to. If you’re new to scheduling things in, start simply. Give yourself enough time to do what you are scheduling in and honour the appointment as if you were going to the dentist or hairdressers. Show up for yourself! With that said, remember to be flexible, not too rigid. Things can and will crop up and throw you off course, that’s all part of the journey and no reason to stop or throw in the towel. Don’t let a blip derail the whole thing, re-schedule when you need to and if it keeps happening, you know you need to find a better time slot or solution. Choosing the same day, place and time can also help you to stick to the plan and a routine will support you to gain momentum, e.g. a recurring appointment every morning at 6 am for 15 minutes. Find what works for you and remember - you’ve got this!
4. | TRACK YOUR SUCCESS |
I’ve already mentioned that change doesn’t happen overnight, it takes time. It can be tricky to stay motivated if you’re putting in the effort but you don’t think it’s going anywhere, this is where tracking comes in. Tracking your progress shows you that you’re heading in the right direction, step by step. I like to tick things off as I do them, it brings me satisfaction to see I’m achieving and I can see how far I have left to go when I’m tracking my progress. You can do this on a word doc, a task-tracking app or a physical planner. Keeping track will show you that you’re making changes incrementally, and believe me - the small steps do all add up over time!
5. | TELL SOMEONE |
When starting something new or pursuing an important goal, the best thing you can do for yourself is to tell someone else. Sharing your wellbeing goals brings with it a sense of responsibility to yourself, and the other person. The accountability will support you to keep going, it can accelerate your performance and it may even motivate those you tell, to join you on the journey!
MINDFULNESS: THE HEALTHIEST, HAPPIEST HABIT YOU CAN CREATE
In my new book, Mindfulness: finding peace in the everyday I share step by step how to pick up the healthiest habit of them all - a mindfulness practice! I break down what mindfulness is, why it’s so important and how it works, before sharing simple guided meditations and breathing exercises for absolute beginners to try, as well as loads of tips and tools to make every day calmer and happier. Ready to give mindfulness meditation a go? The book is available to buy worldwide, now.
#discovermindfulness with Annika Rose.