For many people the concept of anchoring a habit is a foreign concept. Even if it has the merit of aiding self-motivation, this concept is not grounded in any empirical evidence. However, the time taken for anchoring a habit within one's life often depends on the difficulty of applying the new habit to one's lifestyle. For example, it is easier to start smoking after living a life dominated by alcohol, than to get rid of the latter as an alternative. Similarly, it is easier to get into shape after living a sedentary lifestyle than to undertake an aerobics class or join a kickboxing class.
The easiest way to start with anchoring a habit is to apply it to something that you do every day. For example, replace the morning drink of coffee with a healthier option like a cup of tea. Do it gradually enough so that your body gets used to the change gradually. Drinking water is also an excellent way to replace drinks with other beverages like herbal tea. You may even want to substitute your morning shot of espresso with a hot cup of green tea.
Another example of anchoring a habit is to meditate for just 10 minutes every day. This simple act requires nothing more than some focus and mindfulness meditation skills. Start by sitting comfortably in a chair and clearing your mind of all thoughts. Then close your eyes and practice simple breathing techniques until a comfortable trance begins to take over. Eventually, you will be able to control your breathing to the point where you will find it difficult to move your eyes.
There are many more simple examples of anchoring a habit. For example, when you wake up in the morning, instead of drinking a glass of milk, drink a glass of water ready to go. If you do this consistently, your body will eventually be accustomed to this and will automatically make the transition to drinking a glass of milk the next morning without thinking about it.
What happens when we don't do these things however? Sometimes we fall back into old habits and fail to change them. One way to avoid this is through habit anchoring. A great book that I recently read that helped me with my own habit anchoring is "The Wail of the Good Habit: How We Can All Make Permanent New Habits", by Steven Aitchison. In this book, Aitchison gives many examples of simple habits that we can anchor to and develop into new habits easily.
If you incorporate some of these simple strategies every day, your life will improve in many ways. If you drink too much water, instead of taking a glass, drink a glass of water ready to go. If you are not careful, you can fall back into old habits, such as drinking way too much alcohol on social occasions. When you learn to replace those bad habits with good ones, you will feel better for it.
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