“Habits are the compound interest of self-improvement.” – James Clear
Habits! As part of the human experience, we all have them. Some are good, and some are not so good. A habit can be defined as a routine or action that is practiced daily and can be triggered by an internal or external event. For example, many people have the habit of drinking a cup of coffee in the morning, to increase alertness after waking up. Many successful people believe that habits are the daily pieces that create goal achievement and happy life.
A significant aspect of habits is that if they are repeatedly practiced, they can become consistent and automatic over time. Depending on what the habit is, this can lead to negative or positive results in one’s life. For example, the habit of smoking can be quite detrimental to one’s physical health when it is consistent, however, physical exercise such as going to the gym or playing disc golf, can be very beneficial when repeated over time.
Consistency is Key
When viewing this notion of consistency through the lens of mental health, the same lesson applies. Meaning, the more consistently we practice positive habits for our mental health, the more benefits we will see over time. Practicing habits for improved mental health can be things like engaging in positive self-talk, practicing mindfulness, connecting with others more intentionally, engaging in relaxation skills such as deep breathing, and fostering gratitude. These are just a few examples, and of course, they are going to differ from person to person. If your goal is to improve your mental health, whether that be due to anxiety, mood, depression, procrastination, etc., creating positive daily habits is a great way to achieve that goal.
Getting Started
So you might be thinking “Well this all sounds good, but where do I start?”. Great question! Habit stacking is a great skill to practice to start increasing positive habits for mental health. Habit stacking is when we engage in a new habit that is connected to one that we already do. It is similar to the term, “killing two birds with one stone”. For example, when completing the daily action of brushing your teeth, a very helpful habit that you could also engage in is flossing your teeth. It is easy to see how flossing is connected to the action of brushing your teeth, and your floss is likely kept right next to your toothpaste. Flossing might only take 2-3 minutes but the intention of doing it might be missing.
Habit stacking for one’s mental health is very similar. For example, next time you are writing down your “to-do” list, try writing down next to it 3 or 4 people or things that you are grateful for. Another example is the next time you are taking your dog for a walk, or walking to a store or bus stop, try practicing mindfulness and connecting to the present moment. Another quick example is to practice positive self-talk in the mirror when you get dressed for the day – even just repeating to yourself a kind state of affirmation can really help to lower anxiety and improve mood. A main concept around habit stacking is that it is often low effort and low commitment, but when done consistently, it yields great change. The more we add up these helpful habits, the more they impact us in a positive way.
Another concept of habit stacking is the importance of intention in our daily lives and acting with the intention of creating benefits and increasing overall wellness. This means that, although anyone can do these things simple examples of habit stacking, only those with intention actually do them. Sometimes, we need to be a bit more proactive and accountable with our actions – but when we do- wow does it ever pay off!
Let’s start small:
How can you improve your current habits? What is a new simple habit that you might like to start?
Get support: who can help you improve your habits? Who can you rely on to keep you intentional?
How can you adopt habit stacking into your current routine? What are some ways that you can use habit stacking in order to improve your mental health?
Meet the author of this post and Registered Psychotherapist, Qualifying, Julia Telford!
Additional Resources
https://hr.uiowa.edu/news/2022/01/make-lasting-change-stacking-good-habits