Three tips to make change stick
I just finished a 10-day detox diet. It called for the gradual elimination of different food groups – wheat, meat, sugar, and others – so that my body could have a break. Then, during the reintroduction of those foods, I was able to identify any allergies or other effects that help or hinder our bodies.
While, the detox focused primarily on diet, seeing it through became a mental exercise. Early on, there was a certain anxiety around the changes I needed to make. Then it became about planning and figuring out how to do things differently. Now it's about forming new habits to make the changes stick.
We all have points in our life where we need a detox program. Whether that's detoxing your mind of mental clutter, cleaning out the excess in your home closets, or cleaning the toxins out of your body, here are a few tips that can help you make lasting changes.
1. Prep and plan. For any change to stick you must prepare and plan before ever beginning. We had much of the detox food purchased and prepared in advance making it easy to eat a carrot stick on carrot days. Mental and spiritual growth requires this same kind of prep. Contemplate what you'd like to learn about yourself, what you want free yourself from. Consider the things it will take to support you in that change – inspirational books, an appointment with a therapist, support groups, meal plan, meditation time – and plan for these things before you begin. This makes follow through a whole lot easier.
2. Engage in the practice. Be aware of the things you do en route to your goal and be willing to adapt. I made a vegetarian chili while on detox and it was good, but I'd do a few things differently next time. By modifying your moves and behaviors along the way to those that are more efficient and practical, you're more likely to fit the new habit into your lifestyle and that will help it stick.
3. Make a commitment. On the third day of kale and lettuce, I was ready to be done, but I made a commitment to my own spiritual and physical growth and kale and lettuce was part of it. Within the adversity there is great wisdom. Make a commitment to your own growth. Devote yourself to meditation, or exercise, or study, or healthy eating, or non-smoking, or whatever you need to do to make healthy changes. Then, see it through. There is much to be learned when you keep going, even when you're ready to quit.
When you release mental and physical clutter you'll feel revitalized. Lighter physically and psychically.
Today find something that feels as if it's holding you back and resolve to release it, or change your habits around it. Set a start date to clean those closets or change your diet or to start exploring limiting beliefs, gather information and support, then play with the process along the way, all the while sticking to your commitment. Do these things and your positive changes are bound to become good habits.
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