Habit Building

We all have daily habits that we want to start, or maybe ones that we currently possess and are trying to quit. Sometimes we don't recognize bad habits we have and it is important to do self-assessments to see how you are currently living, both consciously and unconsciously. That being said teenagers especially should develop healthy habits that make our lives happier and better. We should learn to combat bad habits and effectively build healthy ones. Building habits requires a lot of self-control and ambition. We need to create them, because in the long run they’ll pay off in huge ways. At first it can be hard to feel motivated to continue a task, but starting off with a smaller, easier task lets you slowly adjust to a routine. Remember, you are doing this to better yourself and your life. One of my favorite ways to build habits is to start by committing to a month of the habit you’d like to develop. Every day I trick myself into pushing through, at least until the end of the month. Setting up a short-term plan lets you start with something easier to maintain. Starting with large, dreadful tasks isn’t the best option if you want to stay motivated.

Some examples of good habits include drinking one liter of water a day, gratitude lists, affirmations, etc. These tasks are small and take little to no time. With water, you can keep one liter on your person and casually drink. By the end of the day, you’ll be hydrated and not feel drained because drinking water is easy to do. If you want to build a habit that sets you up for a long term goal, such as maintaining a workout routine, create a plan for yourself in a calendar. While it may seem boring, keeping a calendar or setting up reminders helps you stay on track. Keeping a commitment to yourself is incredibly rewarding, so setting goals or tasks for yourself to complete will push you to continue working.

During quarantine I personally found out about the Law of Attraction through social media. Doing some of my own research, I decided to start an affirmation and gratitude habit. Every day I found three things to be grateful for, whether that be the bed I have or seeing the sunset. Sometimes finding the smallest things to be happy about could make my day ten times better. After seeing how much being grateful for little things changed my perspective, gain confidence by projecting this gratitude onto myself. Online you can find numerous affirmations, but making your own can be the most beneficial. At first I committed to a month of making affirmations after I did a month of gratitude lists. This helped develop the habit faster since both activities required speaking out loud, which is one of the ways our brains can process new information in long-term memory. The first affirmation I said to myself was, “I am loved.” At first it sounded weird, but then gradually I became more comfortable and found myself being more confident. Building a plan like this and establishing simple habits were able to increase the quality of my daily life.

Maintaining habits can be difficult, but at the end of the day they improve our lives enormously. The most important part of making habits is holding yourself accountable and continuing with the commitment. One of the best pieces of advice I have ever received was that although you can be provided with all the necessary materials, no one but yourself can give you the will to do it. At the end of the day, you’re putting in the effort for yourself and your future, which should be motivation all its own to begin and maintain healthy habits.

Name: Bella Pivo

Editor: Katelyn Clark