According to author and psychologist Dr. Jennifer L. Taitz, persistence is sticking to a plan even when you’re not in the mood. Most of the time, we don’t feel like doing what will leave us most fulfilled, long term. Generally, it requires more effort to pursue actions that are ultimately the most meaningful for us. At one time, psychologists used to promote building self- esteem. Now, the wisdom in the field is that self-control, doing what we know is wise, even when we aren’t in the mood, is the key to evolving and growing. Roy Baumeister, social psychologist says, “Self-control is not just a puritanical virtue. It is a key psychological trait that breeds success at work and play and in overcoming life’s hardship”
At this time possibly more than at any other, we need to hold on even tighter to the things that we value the most. Being stuck in our homes can be a trigger for anyone, particularly people that have difficulty with self-discipline. Don’t we all? At least some of the time! How do we get through this challenging time without resorting to unhelpful habits and behaviors?
Consider the person that overeats, or the person that hates exercise or the individuals that drink too much, watch too much television etc. You’ve got the point. With very few distractions, we need to exhibit more self-control than ever before. This is unchartered territory and we have to muster up as much strength as we can, to come out of this feeling whole and ready to get back to some semblance of normal.
How Do We Accomplish This?
ROUTINE: I can’t stress this enough. You need to plan out every day and have a general schedule for the week. Write down what a positive week looks like for you.
This should include the kind of meals you want to have, to make sure that you have the ingredients in your house to prepare these meals. Have a schedule of when you will eat, whether you’re alone or with others. Have a set time for your meals.
Plan your exercise schedule for the week and write it down too! At this time the clients and friends that I speak with, that and are handling it well are those that do some form of exercise or movement every day. Harder times means working even harder to stay healthy and exercise is the number one remedy for releasing stress. None of us want to leave our homes when this over, with an extra 10 pounds.
Write down your household chores and assign yourself a day or days to get them done. For me, the weekend’s highlight is cleaning my house. I planned for it, it’s on my schedule and it makes me feel much better to live a clean, sparkling place. Life is a mess right now, but I don’t have to be.
If you are lucky enough to still have work to do, then write down your goals for the week and share those goals with someone else and hold each other accountable.
What Will Keep Me Going?
What I fall back on when I’m wavering between an impulse to do nothing, or do things that aren’t helpful or healthy, I always ask myself, how do I want to feel tomorrow? When I take a minute to think about the consequences of a particular behavior, I turn myself around and think of the bigger picture which is my general feeling of well-being.
This is also when pride comes into play. Very few things feel quite as good as when you are proud of yourself. Taking on a job and seeing it through is a high. Doing something for someone else and making an impact is a high. A great work out that you committed to is a high and being a person that does the right thing is also a high. When you look at yourself in the mirror and are proud of how you handled yourself, that’s strong motivation to continue on the path of self-discipline. The benefits of postponing pleasures so that you can feel good about yourself is immeasurable. It’s ok to watch T.V. all day
Occasionally, as well as have that decadent dessert or fattening meal but the challenge is how to do those things as a treat and not the usual. Generally, go through your days with discipline and self-control. Does that sound like a boring way to live? From someone that has lived both ways, I can promise you that living a life with structure and lots of occasional treats built-in, is anything but boring! Productivity equals a feeling of well- being and pride in yourself feels better than anything else. It’s yours and you can own it!