Throughout our lives we create good habits that help us in our development. Habits are essentially routines or behaviors that we tend to repeat without stopping to think that they might be different.
For example, the habit of waking up early every day, the habit of exercising in the afternoons, among others.
Habits are formed by repeating the same action for a certain time. That way they become practically automatic. By the same token, it is normal that we do them without thinking about them.
Next, in chapter 3 of the Wiese Foundation’s Strengthening Socioemotional Skills series, we tell you more about how to create habits in a healthy manner and all the steps you need to achieve it.
Components of healthy habits
Habits have three components. The first one is the warning sign, which activates the habit. The second one is routine; that is, the automatic execution of habit. The third component is the reward or benefit after performing the action.
Can habits be changed?
During our life, we can accumulate both good and bad habits. However, regarding the latter, there is good news: habits can be changed, although it will take some time to achieve it.
The only thing that you need to start to change a bad habit is determination. Furthermore, it is also good to have a support network that helps motivate us. Family, friends, the school or work environment can be very helpful for this.
Steps to create healthy habits
Here, we share some tips for you to create good habits:
- Have a motivation. Look for it to be intense enough so that it can inspire you to achieve the goal.
- Recognize that it will not be a quick or easy process. Adopting new habits is a process that must go step by step. Time is important for the habit to be sustained after being acquired.
- Keep track of your habit. You can use reminders or records of what you are attaining each day. For example, if you want to create the new habit of doing sports, make a calendar with the days when you are going to exercise and mark it each time that you meet the goal. Also, activate the alarm on your cell phone to remind you when to start your sports activities.
- Celebrate and recognize the efforts and progress that you make. That way, you will feel encouraged to be consistent until you manage to install it.
- Have a trusted person who can support you, hold you accountable, or or give you their support.
The Wiese Foundation contributes to the emotional well-being of principals and teachers
The Wiese Foundation recognizes that in daily life, we, human beings, face different challenges that can be diverse, demanding and urgent, and that, many times, can generate a negative impact on our emotional well-being. For this reason, it created the series “Strengthening Socioemotional Skills”, in which it proposes, to managers and teachers, concrete alternatives to handle these challenges, generate a venue for reflection and contribute to the improvement of their emotional well-being. Watch the full series here!
