5 Tips to Releasing Unwanted Habits
By Angela Levesque
As we move into the New Year, we all get the itch to better ourselves. We make sweeping declarations that we are going to kick our bad habits, lose some weight and make the world a better place. These are all good goals, but they are coming from the wrong space. They are reactionary sentiments coming off a month of holiday parties, too many rum and eggnogs and decadent holiday squares. Causing your body, mind and maybe even your waistline to scream out, “enough”! It is for this simple reason that New Year’s resolutions rarely work. The truth is we have the opportunity for change in every moment, not just with the beginning of a New Year. Unhealthy habits are hard to break, mostly because we don’t want to dig deep into our programming and acknowledge agreements we have made that give our habits power.
1. Never Move From The Land of Should
January 1st, we start feeling pressured by the mass mob mentality that we need to make a resolution. Couple that peer pressure with our fabulous gluttony over the holiday season and we guilt ourselves into pending failure. I call this moving from the land of should. For example, “I know I should lose some weight”. If you are still in this space then you are not ready for change. Trying now will only later become a great reason why you can’t do something in the future. Your mind will look back on this moment as a justification for not trying. The truth is you were not ready to make the change and that is OK. If you are in the land of should, do some research, educate yourself and begin watching your actions and how your body responds. In other words, start becoming more aware. Don’t make any sudden moves yet; wait until you ache for the change. It has to be part of every cell in your body, mind and soul. In the land of should, you have not yet owned the behavior. The accountability lies in the external environment and not within you.
