Welcome to Day 83 of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day blog! Yesterday, we continued our final look at each of the habits within The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal, considering how Being Mindful helps you to connect with the present moment each day. In today’s blog, I move onto Letting Go and how to let go of bad habits formed in the past.
Streak Building
Where many of the Wellbeing 9-a-Day focus on building habits, Letting Go of bad habits formed in the past is just as important for your overall health and wellbeing.
When I started developing The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal, one of my priorities was to stop smoking, a bad habit I picked up in my 20s. I had tried to quit in the past, with varying success, but it only stuck when I started tracking my streak.
After a couple of false starts, the number of days it had been since my last cigarette began to tot up nicely. By the time I had got past the first week, I had a 7-day streak to protect.
Though I might have been tempted, the temptation never outweighed my desire to stop and acknowledge the value that I placed on the streak. Now, I no longer need to track the streak because the habit has been broken.
I saw a similar example of this while using the journal when I introduced a one coffee maximum.
I hit my goal on the first day but broke the streak on Day 2. I accidentally had a second coffee on day 3 and I succumbed to temptation on Day 4 when my girlfriend bought a Filtea from Gong Cha.
Then I hit my goal again, and again, starting my streak. It then got easier and easier to let go of drinking more than one coffee per day. Once again, by the time I got to a week streak, the cost of missing my goal was greater than the value of having the second coffee.
Letting Go
Streaks work positively and negatively. Just as a positive streak can strengthen your resolve to keep going, a negative streak can make it easier to abandon the goal and persist with the bad habit.
While everyone can miss a goal, it is important not to let the pendulum swing in the other direction and create negative momentum. A good rule of thumb is not to miss two in a row.
For the last 30 days of my time with The Wellbeing 9-a-Day Journal, I set myself the target of eating no chocolate. I did this for the first two days, but I somehow managed to stuff my face with Maltesers that I found in the cupboard on the third day.
I had broken my streak, but bounced back the next day so that I didn’t continue the negative streak.
Then I ate some more chocolate the next day, and the next day, and the next day.
Feeling a bit silly for missing my goal so much, I hit my goal for the next three days.
At my Days 61-70 Review, I read the writing on the wall and decided to let go of the goal of letting go of chocolate. As I was already giving up two bad habits and Easter was around the corner, I was bound to miss my targets and decided it was better not to have it.
Call to Action!
Think about your bad habits. What has helped you let go of bad habits in the past? For me, the presence of Maltesers in my house was a ticking time bomb. It took me less than an hour from seeing them to stuffing them in my face. Out of sight really does help to keep things out of mind!
This blog was written as part of a 90-day blog writing fundraiser for Live Well with Cancer, a volunteer-led charity serving North Tyneside and the surrounding areas. If you enjoyed this blog, please show your appreciation by donating to my JustGiving page. Every penny raised from donations or sales of the journal will help deliver workshops, events and support groups that empower better health and wellbeing for those affected by cancer, including family, friends, carers, and healthcare workers.
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