Practice: Turning an Idea into a Habit

My clients often inspire me with innovative and direct questions about things we discuss. Through these questions I begin to understand where and what gets stuck in communication and growth. Recently I had a couple of clients in very different sessions basically ask the same question: “So you share all of these great tools and tips, but how do I remember to do them?” I was so thankful for this question because it reminded me that I don’t talk enough about practicing.

Anytime we introduce a new topic or behavior into our life, we have to practice the behavior in order for the behavior to be cemented. Think about anything you have ever learned. You probably poured hours into practicing it before it became second nature. Everything from times tables to driving to anything you have mastered in your life takes time to practice regularly, if not daily. 

The same is true for things like meditation, mindfulness, or gratitude practices. We can talk about these subjects in depth, but if you don’t put them into a regular practice, they will not become part of your regular experience.

When people are going through overwhelming emotional experiences, grief, and/or crisis, they want solace and may try to turn toward meditation, mindfulness, or gratitude. Often if these practices have not been integrated into their daily or regular experience, these calming mindsets won’t be available. Our greatest tools will not be available to us if we do not use them regularly. We need to put the work in to make these helpful tools common mechanisms in order for them to be present when we need them most. 

So how do you turn an idea into a practice? 

Commitment and Clarity

One of the first steps in turning an idea into a practice is making a commitment to yourself. Creating a new habit takes dedication and it is important you are committed to the goal. It is also essential to have a clear goal. It can be helpful to even write down or speak out loud the clarified objective. If you want to make meditation a goal, perhaps the clarified goal is to practice meditating for five minutes every day for a month.  

Tools for Daily Participation 

Once you have your goal, it is important for your success to set up optimum daily practice. We often head toward achieving a goal with so much enthusiasm, but it wanes. Many times we need reminders and accountability. With modern technology, it is easy to set up reminders or alerts on your phone. So again for the goal of meditation, set up a reminder or alert to go off everyday at a point in your day when you might be able to meditate for five minutes. Physical calendars are another tool for daily accountability. You can cross off each day on the calendar when you have achieved your daily goal. Another tool is to download an app specific to the goal you have in mind. There are so many apps out there that are geared toward improving your mental health, just google apps for mental health, mindfulness, meditation, or whatever you are wanting to achieve. Often they will send you daily reminders as well.   

Social Support 

The last key in making an idea a habit is social accountability. Tell your friends, family, or partner about your goal. Engage a buddy to start the goal with you. Check in daily with a friend regarding your progress. 

If you incorporate these steps, you will be able to create a new healthy habit. Once the habit is created, you will be able to utilize the habit even in the toughest of times. We need healthy habits when things get tough. Start filling your toolbox today!