Summertime is usually when people start to take some time off, slow things down and enjoy the season for what it is - less work more play. Let it also be a moment to evaluate your lifestyle and if it is working for you.
Everyone falls into some patterns, some healthy and some that are no longer serving them - take the time to figure out what habits you need to kick in order to make room for better ones. Think of it this way, you don't have time in the day for everything so what habits are not helping you achieve the goals that you could cut loose to make room for new ones?
Evaluate your bad habits first, and decide how you can replace them with new ones that make you feel fulfilled and help you live your best life.
Identify Your Bad Habit
Start off by figuring out which habits are no longer serving you. For example, you might love watching Netflix for an hour each night, but if you are struggling to sleep well or not making any progress on that list of books you have, consider cutting out that habit to make room for new ones.
Watching Netflix is not necessarily a bad habit, but it could be a habit that is preventing you from making changes. That is how you evaluate what needs to go, what are your barriers to feeling able to make positive changes?
Many people want to eat healthier but say they don't have the time, to start meal prepping. If you don't have the time to work out, find a time that works for you and a type of exercise that you enjoy.
Think to yourself, what is the problem? And find a solution.
Find A Substitute For Your Bad Habit
Once you identify your bad habit, you need to find something that will substitute for it. An easy example would be cutting out dairy, and substituting oat milk in your coffee. Not that that is necessarily a bad habit, but an easy substitution.
If you want to drink less alcohol, find a non-alcoholic drink that you truly enjoy sipping on or substitute happy hour plans for going for walks in the park in the afternoon. Look for alternatives to your same old habits, you have to be willing to will change and stick to something different.
Avoid Bad Habit Triggers
One of the biggest issues that people have with kicking bad habits is the triggers that make them want them. For some people, maybe that trigger is a social event. If you want to drink less alcohol but spend every Friday night having a wine night, it is a hard habit to get out of when you put yourself in that environment.
If you never want to work out after work because you feel tired, find a time in the day such as the morning or during lunch when you have more energy. Remove the trigger that prevents you from making change, and sometimes that includes toxic people.
Let Supportive People Into Your Life
Transitioning into adulting is hard, and sometimes in that process, you end up losing friendships that are no longer suited to your needs. Trying to live a healthy lifestyle is hard when you friends are stuck in the same old habits.
Go to a fitness class and make friends with people who are working towards the same goal as you, you can still keep friends who have different lifestyles but make sure you are removed from your triggers and getting the support you need.
Friends with different lifestyles do not necessarily mean it is toxic, what matters is how your friends support the changes you want to make.
Affirm Yourself
In your process of making change, and that can be a slow one at that, make sure to remind yourself of your progress and journey. You are your biggest cheerleader, cheer her on at every moment in her life.
It is okay to falter with self-love sometimes, but accepting yourself as someone who is not perfect is the first step to getting there. Let yourself have good and bad days where you work towards your goal, and sometimes make a few steps backward.
Remember Progress Isn't Linear
Progress is not linear, people make mistakes all the time and that is okay. There is nothing wrong with indulging yourself a few times in a habit that does not serve you. Don't be mad at yourself, enjoy it and just remember that the new you have the self-control to not make it a habit.
Let yourself watch Netflix sometimes, don't feel bad about overeating or skipping a workout, you only live once and letting yourself indulge is not the same as reverting to old habits.
