Why should I start forming a new habit?
When we experience stress, we all tend to act the same way we have previously done in the same context. We behave according to our habits. Automatically. On autopilot.
Are you happy with those? Or would you love to tweeak them to…
- take a deep breath before ....?
- choose the salad over burger?
- call a friend over watching another episode?
Feel in control of all your actions, even under stress!
No energy to start forming a new habit? Too much stress?
That’s okay. Maybe right now is not the perfect time. But at the same time, is there ever an ideal timing?
You could choose to form a new habit, which will reduce stress.
Examples for such habit goals are:
- always eat ... for breakfast
- at the end of every (work) day, review and update your planning and define which task you tackle first the next morning
- choose your outfit the night before and hang it separatly
How do these habits help reduce stress?
By consciously deciding once to do something always/every day the exact same way, and then forming a habit, you liberate yourself from making a conscious decision every single time. The three examples of stress reducing habits help in the following way:
- Same breakfast: Over time, your hands will automatically reach for your favourite breakfast, you know how long it takes and it will provide you with the energy to conquer the day.
- Define Task No. 1: Knowing in advance with which task you start your day empowers you to get your work done. It reduces the risk that urgent issues overshadow the important ones and push it to the late evening hours.
- Laying out your outfit the night before: Even though, you might be reminded of your childhood by laying out your clothes the night before. You will have a bit more time to figure out which shirt to wear when you notice that a button has fallen off the one you wanted to wear.
How to get started with creating a new Habit yourself?
You know which habit you would like to form? Excellent! You don’t know? Pick one of the three examples: breakfast, defining task no 1 or laying out your clothes. You could use our app, that guides you with practical suggestions and checks in with you like a friend, until you it has become second nature to you. You could also further explore this website, specificall the growing Habit Information Hub in which you find similar posts like this one. And if you wish to dive deeper into the scientific research and how good habits can help reduce stress, have a look at the References and Recommended Readings below.
References & Recommended Reading
- Schwabe L, Wolf O T: Stress Prompts Habit Behavior in Humans. Journal of Neuroscience 2009, 29(22):7191-7198 https://doi.org/10.1523/JNEUROSCI.0979-09.2009
- Dias-Ferreira E et al.: Chronic Stress Causes Frontostriatal Reorganization and Affects Decision-Making. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.1171203