Have you ever struggled with changing an old habit? Then, here is the power of building some healthy micro-habits that can change your life. Micro-habits are actions that require minimal motivation or effort to complete. Each small micro-habit will slowly build on top of itself, resulting in significant good or bad habits. Micro-habits can help us manage new behaviour, achieve our goals and give us a good quality of life. The beauty of micro-habits is we can't say no to them or make up an excuse not to follow through as it's a 'habit' we created for ourselves. Micro-habits become 'automatic behaviour' which signals the brain to learn through repetition, so we end up performing the same habit without thinking about it. Although, some habits are hard to change as behaviour change is systematic, which means it's hard to keep the willpower long enough to see the change. That is why many of us find it hard to stick to a certain routine because of these small micro-habits we implemented into our daily lives.
So, how can we build and incorporate healthy micro-habits? Below are some techniques which may help you...
1) Sit in silence for a few minutes every day-
Sitting in silence for a couple of minutes can help you gather your thoughts. Switching off from the current world and listening to your inner-thoughts can help you de-clutter your mind and help you come back to reality. Remember we can go through 34,000 different emotions a day which can impact the way you think and act. Simply closing your eyes and taking a few minutes to yourself will help you feel rejuvenated for the rest of the day or you can try sitting in silence just before bed to help you feel relaxed after a long hard day.
2) Mindful body-
Mindfulness is one of the best habits you can incorporate into your life. It's about gaining the ability to be fully present and aware of where we are and what we're doing. By inhabiting a mindful body will help you feel wake in the morning or during the day. You can perform this technique anywhere at anytime during your day. It's about being aware of your body and the environment. As part of being mindful to your body, listening to your gut health is another mindful technique which can change your life. Our gut is connected to our brain which sends signals when we don't feel happy inside. This signal is received to the brain where we begin to try and process what could be wrong with us. This task then effects our emotions and the way we act. So, a happy body is a happy gut & a happy mind = Happy YOU!
3) Become a note-taker-
Note-taking is something we take for granted. We all have that spur of a moment when we get an idea or we remind ourselves to tick something off from our to-do list. These instant thoughts is the brain going though it's thought-process, but as we get caught up with other things we sometimes forget to write it down! By incorporating note-taking will help you organise your thoughts and ideas, overcome distractions and help you focus on your goals. Note-taking doesn't have to be formal writing. If it's a random thought, just write it down. If it's a task, write it down. If you want to express how you feel, write it down. Don't hold back on anything. Write everything down either on a notebook or your electronic device. Holding inner-thoughts can lead to signs of brain fog, de-cluttering thoughts and overthinking as you're putting your brain into a strain of trying to remember things over and over again.
4) Repeat a personal mantra-
Mantra's are one of the best therapies for us. By simply repeating a mantra when you're feeling stressed, overwhelmed, anxious or even when you're feeling happy can instantly change your energy. A mantra doesn't have to be complicated, make it something simple which is easy to remember. This is a simple way to retrain your brain and tell it how to respond to stress. Instead of letting stressful points send you into a panicked mode, you pull out your mantra and tell your brain that it’s going to be okay. A few of my favourites are:
"Be the best you can be".
"Today is another day of living"
"Practice makes perfect" "Life is too short to live from yesterday's mistakes"
Try out some of these mantra's or create your own which is best suited to how you feel and think about yourself. There is never a wrong mantra as each one is personalised to you by bringing you happiness inside and out.
5) Body scan-
A body scan meditation is a good way to release tension you might not even realise you're experiencing. Body scanning involves paying attention to parts of the body and bodily sensations in a gradual sequence from feet to head. By mentally scanning yourself, you bring awareness to every single part of your body, noticing any aches, pains, tension, or general discomfort. The goal is not to relieve the pain completely, but to get to know it and learn from it so you can better manage it. One simple technique is: putting your legs against the wall with your back flat on the ground or you can hang your upper body (hands and shoulders) off the bed while you lie down flat on the side of the bed. These simple postures is an effective way of the body realising tension and intaking oxygen to help you control your breathing. It will help your blood flow to the heart and brain, helping you release stress, tension and anxiety.
6) Brush your teeth with the non-dominant hand-
Studies have shown using our non-dominant hand helps us improve brain function and encourages us to build new neurons which activates both our hemispheres of the brain. By using your opposite hand will strengthen neural connections in your brain which will help grow the muscle. So, next-time you pick up your toothbrush- remember to use your non-dominant hand.
7) Eat mindfully-
When was the last time you sat down for a meal and took into account the taste, type of food and texture of what you're eating. We often forget to eat mindfully when we are busy working, reading, watching a tv-show or even if we are not in the right frame of mind. By eating mindfully will help you from over-eating or under-eating and help you focus on your food. You will instantly feel gratitude in appreciating the little things such as having warm, good food on the table and your surrounding company of your family and friends. As well as eating mindfully, you can begin to reconnect with your taste buds which can give you the opportunity to explore new foods and texture.
8) Digital detox -
Have you ever gone a day or 5 minutes without checking your phone? We often rely on our phones as a sense of distraction when we feel bored, overwhelmed, or need an instant fresher from staring at a screen all day. This isn't a healthy habit as we can become addicted to 'scrolling' which can impact on our overall mental health. Setting a simple digital detox habit can help you achieve your goals and make your overall health better. You don't have to do an extreme digital detox, but just simple techniques such as waking up without checking your phone or turning off your phone after 9:00pm just before bed. Only checking your phone for important notifications. A technique which helps me is blocking out time in my day for digital surfacing. I usually block out 1 hour of my time consecutively during my day to use my phone. Just before bed I stop using my phone after 9:00pm to help my body begin the bedtime routine.
9) Keep a tray of art supplies on your desk-
Do you every feel brain fog is the number 1 thought killer to your productively levels? During the day we often get busy with task to complete and forget about bringing our creative side out. By keeping some art suppliers around you while you are working, reading, checking mail etc... can help bring out your creativity. Our environment surrounds us which impacts our mood. When we have to do something which we find less motivating we end up with low productivity and low energy. This impacts on the quality of our work and how much time and energy we spend on completing that task. By having art suppliers around you is a form of re-energising your creativity and thought-process. It can also be a good form of distraction to help you regain focus. This small micro-habit can help bring your motivation or give you some inspiration. As well as helping you problem-solve and de-clutter your mind.
10) Music-
Music is one of the best known therapies to changing your emotions and behaviour. When we listen to music our brain gets activated, which results in release of pleasure hormones called dopamine. This chemical brings out our creativity and productivity, giving us a good feeling. Music can also smooth and help your blood vessel function in a way that increases the blood flow in your system. Incorporating music into your daily habit will change your life! You can listen to 10 minutes of music in the morning or 10 minutes in the evening just before bed. Music is your therapy to a happy you!
I hope these micro-habits can help you live a better, happy life! Remember positive mind = happy YOU!
“When you know how to create tiny habits, you can change your life forever.”
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By Chandni Patel @Madeadifference
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