It's January 1st and everyone is making their typical New Years resolutions, or even resolutions for a whole new decade. I've decided to try something different this year. Yesterday, I was reading an essay on "Habits" for a History of Psychology class I'm taking and while I initially dreaded reading 24 pages on the subject, I found it rather interesting. It talked a lot about the science behind the formation of a habit, comparing it to water cutting a course out of a new terrain and then finding it easier to follow that exact same path the second time.
If you think about it, everything we do in our daily lives is the result of habit formation, most of which were formed when we were kids. Walking, eating, getting dressed...all of these things have becomed so ingrained in our subconscious that we don't even really have to think about it to do it anymore. And while most of us probably couldn't say off the top of our heads which order we wash our bodies in in the shower or which pant leg or shoe we put on first...it's almost guaranteed that we do it the same every time. Out of habit.
Now, while it's obviously much harder to form a new habit as a fully formed adult, it's not impossible. And I've decided that instead of making resolutions this year...I want to create some new habits. This essay, by William James, stated that it's crucial not to "slip up" in the early stages of habit formation as doing so can make it harder to ever start over again and make it to completion. He says that it's better to suffer acutely for a little while in the beginning in order to be "free" later on. Perfect example of that for me would be any and every time I've tried to completely cut sugar out of my life. The second I slipped up, those old habits came back like it was yesterday. I don't do well with extreme changes or deprivation, so this year I'm trying to see it and even word it...differently.
Here are a few things that I am going to strive to make a habit in 2020. This doesn't mean they will be done to perfection forever, but I know that it's crucial to have a strong start for at LEAST a few weeks. James' said one way to help form a habit is to make a public declaration...so here we go:
1) Personal prayer and 10+ minutes of scripture study daily.
2) Making my bed and straightening my room daily.
3) Drink 100 ounces of water daily before allowing myself any other sort of beverage.
4) Eat at least 1 fruit and 1 vegetable a day.
This is a short list, but I know better than to overwhelm myself before I've even begun, especially since I'm already trying not to feel overwhelmed with the whole work/school/single mom combination. Firstly, I've learned over the past year that when I'm more invested and involved in my relationship with my Heavenly Father...I'm happier. I'm lighter. So I want to really try and make that a habit instead of a "when I remember to" kind of thing. I've also learned that when I start my day off with a made bed, my stress levels are way lower. Go figure! As far as eating...I'm not going to put any deprivations on my list like "no sugar" or "no carbs" or "no soda", but instead focus on these habits of things that I WILL do and see how they affect everything else first. The thing that will help the most with some of these is that my parents and I have agreed to focus on healthier eating together. Having 3 adults living in the same house (plus 2 teenagers and a 5 year old) makes it hard sometimes to keep the junk out of the house, but we're going to try. We know that for all 3 of us...if something is in the house, we're going to eat it. So if we just don't allow things like soda, chips, sweets to be in the fridge/pantry then that's a start. The kids aren't thrilled, but they could do with a few less cans of soda too these days haha.
Goals aside, I'm excited for a new year and a new decade. Life is finally starting to look up and we're no longer hyper-focused on the trauma of the past year and a half. Our new normal is finally starting to feel that way...normal. So bring on 2020 and all that comes with it. Happy New Year everyone!
