It’s tough to get through winter and maintain ‘good habits’? Me and my ‘good habits’ had indeed a good thing going on – but now I feel the rug has been pulled from underneath me leaving me discombobulated and exposed! How to get back into good habits after a break? I’m not an expert, but this is what I’m doing…
The sluggishness that follows Christmas
I’m not a special person.
I drink wine often, eat too much chocolate and get angry like the next person. But within those bad habits I had developed a routine of what I believed were ‘good habits’ – mainly because they felt ‘good’ for me and I believed contributed to my happiness.
So Christmas brought with it the usual extreme volumes of alcohol and other treats. I ate toast and marmalade for breakfast…oh I ate way too much bread. I drank on more days than I should have. I slowed down, got out of the habits I had developed for the year, and now it’s January and I’m supposed to just click back into how I was before?
No…oh so no!
I had been struggling with sleep over the festive period, and that was fine – everything was out of sync and I made no big pushes on myself or my work. But now with a new year, I feel so sluggish…how do I even start to get back into my ‘good habits’?
My good habits
There’s a lot of tips out there, and I could really push myself with the New Year’s resolutions. Go to the gym, diet, wake up early, go to bed early…But at the same time, I’m trying to be kind to myself.
It’s true I need to work. I need to write and edit. I have scheduled March for my new editor to look at my new book, (an actual editor – professional person looking at my work! Eek!) And so I’m already freaking out at the timeline. I need my morning routines back! But how can I get them back if I’m a zombie?
Yes I hear you, early bedtime. That is true, I quite agree…although I’ve been going to bed around 9am the last week and still I cannot get up the next morning! I think my big problem was that my body clock was so attuned – I didn’t need an alarm to wake me (also my toddler shares a wall with me so I’m terrified to set an alarm before his morning rise!). I’m hoping that my trusty inner body clock will switch on soon…please!
In the meantime, I’m not really here to tell you what to do. But rather comiserate with you as you may be going through this also? January is hardly spring, so that boost of energy that one gets in the warmer months is still a long way off.
How to get back into good habits after a break?
After saying that I’m not telling you what you should do, I will say what I plan to do:
Work with ‘right now‘
I will utilise my time to continue writing. And that will likely fall to night time after my toddler goes to bed. Instead of watching tv, I’ll use that time to write and plan my week. But also not to fall into the trap of working late…as that leads to late mornings!
Make it easy
Just like starting any new habits, I will make it as easy as I can. So the night before, I will lay out my clothes, ground coffee in the percolator ready for me to light the gas, my mug on stand-by and my laptop waiting in the warm kitchen. I will keep having these things prepared, so that when I do wake early enough, (when!) it will not involve too much motivation to get up. All I need to do is move my legs in the direction of the kitchen!
I feel you, just be kind
There is too much push in January, we are still in winter! It’s not like it hits January and everything is just easier…in fact everything is that little more difficult – well it is in the northern hemisphere! So I will keep these few processes in check, hoping that I will sooner or later fall back into my good habits again. But in the meantime I will try to be kind to myself. I will tell myself I’m doing really well – encourage, console, inspire. I will keep you posted if I succeed in this, I really hope so!
Good luck with your own good habits!
YOUR TURN
Are you struggling to get back into good habits? Let me know I’m not alone!
If you enjoyed this, have a look at my previous posts such as – My morning routine – how it’s important for my positive mindset
PIN FOR LATER – How To Get Back Into Good Habits After A Break Away?
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