Each day tests your willpower. From the moment you wake up until the time you reach your bed to rest, your will encourages you to make the right choices or not. According to a 2012 stress test conducted by the American Psychological Association, not enough willpower stops people from making healthy choices. While many want to be healthier, most people cannot achieve their goals because they struggle with poor willpower.
What Willpower Is
Willpower refers to your motivation and control. This helps you control emotions, actions, and urges, resist temptations, and focus on your goals. Many correlate willpower with positive life outcomes.
The more self-control you have, the easier it is for you to stop yourself from giving in to temptations. Whether your goal is to be healthier, happier, or more successful, the stronger your willpower is, the easier it will be to achieve your every goal.
According to experts, willpower is like a muscle. When we overuse this, it gets overwhelmed and overtired. This, in turn, makes it hard to accomplish our goals.
The problem is, most of us lack at the willpower department. This is what usually holds us back from attaining our goals. This includes practicing and maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Strengthening Your Willpower
The good news is, there is still hope. If you often find yourself lacking enough willpower to stick to a healthy diet, regular exercise, and other healthy habits, improving your willpower can help you maintain the kind of lifestyle you wish to achieve. Here are a few tips that can help in strengthening your will.
Set Small Achievable Goals
Many people fail to maintain a healthy lifestyle because they try to change their habits in one go. Remember that you are only human, making it easy to make mistakes. Since you already have weak willpower, it is easier to give in to temptations stopping you on your tracks.
By setting small, achievable goals, you can gain motivation and encouragement after achieving the said goals. You will feel great for every small goal you accomplish. Use this strategy to work your way up, and you will find it easier to adopt a healthy lifestyle.
Many people try so hard to accomplish their goals, only to fall short because they don’t want anyone extending their help. Remember that there are battles you can win on your own. But even so, having the right support can significantly help.
For instance, you wish to start living a life where you are no longer dependent on harmful substances or alcohol. Having your loved ones’ support and the right professionals can help you set on the right path. Considering treatment offered by trusted rehab centers like Brighton Recovery Center can give you better chances of recovery.
Have a Plan of Action in Mind
You must have a plan on what you can do whenever temptations arise. This way, you know what to do to prevent temptations from ruining your day and stop temptations on their tracks. Here are three ways you can do this.
- Get Away From Your Temptation
Put your focus on something else. For example, you are tempted to skip your daily jog because your favorite show is up in a few hours. Stand up, go somewhere where you won’t have access to your favorite show.
- Distract Yourself
Are you tempted to finish that tasty cake instead of prepping your healthy meal for the day? Distract yourself by thinking about just how many calories you will consume if you choose the backed goodies. Think about the benefits you can reap from cooking a healthy lunch and watch your impulse chill.
- Say Yes to Later
Postponing is a great way to reduce your desire to give in to temptations. You only need to tell yourself to try temptation later instead of now. Delaying gratification will help you realize if using your time to give in to temptations is worth it or not.
Change Your Speech Pattern
They say swearing helps if you wish to feel better after feeling a physically painful event. But when it comes to your willpower, it is quite the opposite. By changing your speech and pattern and choosing to stop yourself from swearing, you are conditioning your mind to be more in control of your feelings.
To stop swearing, you can try the following tips.
- Use friendlier words to replace your favorite swear words
- Ask a friend to catch your attention whenever you start swearing
- Pretend your parents are listening
- Fine yourself for every swear word you utter
Improving your willpower can help you live a healthier, happier, and more successful life. It only makes sense that you continue to do so if you wish to accomplish your goals, especially when trying to be healthy. Enjoy a more fulfilling and healthier life by boosting your own willpower.
