We all know about the long held tradition of Spring Cleaning. What about taking that to a new level and making it a priority to do some internal spring cleaning as well. This doesn’t need to be a detox or a cleanse, although this is a great time of year for that too. Some behavioral changes can be very beneficial to beging at this time of year.
Are you ready to make some changes? This is a great time of year to venture into the unknown, whether it is a new exercise routine, a dietary change, or starting a new healthy habit.
Lots of people go away for spring break. Why not make that a time to begin instituting new habits? If you remove yourself from your usual routine without the common distractions or triggers for a behavior you’d like to change, then a spring vacation can be the perfect time to jumpstart your self-improvements.
Many of us like to dive right in and change EVERYTHING all at once. If you are that sort, then make lists to track your progress. Don’t just wing it and hope for a lasting change. Also, realize that new habits take time to become lifestyle changes. Give youself at least three weeks, and hopefully six to eight weeks to see some real change in the behaviors and habits you want to break, or make.
Others prefer to institute a new habits one at a time over the course of many weeks or months. If that sounds like you, then make a list of the advantages AND pitfalls that you might encounter as you seek to make a series of permantent changes. An example of this would be to quit smoking. What are the advantages? It could be more energy, better health, the abiltiy to workout more effectively, and rid the house of the smell of smoke.
How about the pitfalls? Well those might be items such as you won’t be able to hang out with your usual crowd of smokers at breaktime, or that you’ll have to figure out a way to deal with cravings, and what will you do when you feel nervous. Perhaps you’ve always had a cup of coffee and a cigarette together in the morning. You’ll want to list that as a pitfall and figure out what you’ll do instead.
Either of these approaches can work. The choice is yours. My advice – get started and utilize the longer days and warmer weather to help you with your desire to make some positive changes. This works particularly well if you start your journey toward a healthier you during a break from your usual routines.
We Spring Clean our homes! We also need to Spring Clean our insides! Great blog Sandi!
That’s a great statement Cindy. What do you like to do for internal spring cleaning?