Why being at home is the chance to reset your habits

Humans are, in many ways, creatures of habit and everyone creates routines that suit them. Currently, we are all faced with a situation that has upset our normal routine and created many restrictions. No one can say for certain how long the coronavirus pandemic will last, or when our lives will return to normal.

This time provides you with an opportunity to do some valuable self-reflection. You will be able to examine your existing habits and behaviours and make some choices about which habits will be good for you to take forward. This is also the time to take extra good care of yourself, so you can emerge positively from this situation.

It is useful to understand that a great deal of what you do is carried out on autopilot, which means you don’t always apply conscious thought to your actions. This can be useful if the habits you are performing are constructive, positive and healthy. If, however, you have collected habits that are not relevant or useful or are even detrimental to your wellbeing, it is important that you address them and make changes.

Building good pathways into your daily routine will go a long way to supporting your overall wellbeing. Many of us are being asked to work and live in a way that is quite alien and may feel very restrictive. Making the most of what’s around you is the best place to start. Practising daily gratitude and focusing on what you do have available to you, rather than what you don’t, will help to lift your spirits.

Start with positivity

Beginning each day in the most positive way will help you to keep healthy and energised. Get out of bed in the morning and get going. Have a wash, get dressed and take pride in your appearance, even if you aren’t going to see anyone.

It is also important to establish a routine, which will help you to embed good habits and behaviours. Structure your day and create a plan with timed activities for mealtimes, relaxation breaks and check-ins with work, family and friends.

If you look at bad news, make sure you actively seek out something positive to create a healthy balance of what else is going on around you. Find things that make you laugh – laughter is a great stress reliever, so comedies and cheerful sitcoms can be helpful.

Promote exercise and sleep

Being stuck at home can lead to boredom because of the lack of variety in your life, so it could be easy to overeat or not feel like exercising. This is the time, however, that you need to create healthy habits and fuel yourself well. There are lots of exercise, meditation, pilates and yoga videos available online – and building stretching exercises into your routine is essential, especially if you are using computers or sitting watching TV.

It is also important to stay hydrated and not overdo the caffeine and sugar. Eating at regular times will help bring some structure to your day and suppress snacking, which could lead to weight gain and poor health.

The quality of your sleep will also have a big impact on how you feel, and getting the right amount of sleep is essential for your mental and physical health. Sticking to regular bedtimes and then getting up at the same time each morning is a very useful habit. It is advisable not to read the news just before you go to bed. Instead, use this time to reflect on the positives from your day. Focus on happy memories or things that you are looking forward to doing in the future.

So, the good news is that you have the capacity to adapt and adopt new habits.

Habits don't change overnight

Habitual change does take time and therefore requires effort, patience and persistence. Now is the time to start embedding healthy behaviours and good pathways into your daily routine.

Taking each day at a time and doing the small things that are within your control will help to ease the build-up of anxiety. Most important of all – be kind to yourself, take one step at a time, and remember that you are not alone. We are all in this together, and this will pass.

Liggy Webb is an award-winning and bestselling author, presenter and international consultant. She is also the founding director of The Learning Architect, an international consortium of behavioural skills specialists. She is recognised as a thought leader on human resilience and works with a wide range of businesses focusing on optimising potential through continual learning and behavioural agility.

Liggy believes that the diversity of her clients has provided her with tremendous insight into the many and varied challenges that people currently face in a rapidly changing and often volatile world.

Discover more about Liggy on her author page.