Can you develop your willpower muscle?
You made that new year’s resolution.
Once again, you decided to get healthy. You received some new information from a book, a friend, or the Internet. You recommitted yourself to follow through. And you told yourself, “This time will be different!”
How long did your resolution stick? A week, maybe two?
You were busy and getting to the gym just didn’t happen. The stress of work, school, family — you know, life — sent you looking for the companionship of Ben & Jerry, and once again you felt you have no willpower.
Does this sound familiar? Yep, I’ve been there too.
The American Psychological Association describes willpower as the ability to resist short-term temptations in order to meet long-term goals. This is your ability to self regulate and make good choices.
So what if willpower were just like any other muscle that we can develop? What if each time we choose not to eat those French fries and every time we go for a run, to yoga or Pilates instead of sleeping in helped strengthen our willpower muscle?
Let’s explore that possibility with these five tips to building your willpower muscle.
Don’t keep yourself on high willpower alert all the time
Just like all our muscles, our willpower can become tired if we overdo it. You wouldn’t spend an hour running on a track just before competing in a marathon. And you probably wouldn’t spend hours each day lifting weights with no recovery time. Wisely exercising self control will build your willpower; however, never giving yourself a break will challenge your resolve.
Use mental rehearsal
When you know you are going to be in a challenging situation that will test your commitment, such as a cocktail party or a tailgate at a sporting event, imagine yourself at the event. Where is it? Who is there? Imagine the food and fun that will be going on. See in your mind as much detail as possible, then walk yourself mentally through the event, making good choices, having one adult beverage instead of three and enjoying a bratwurst with all the fixings but avoiding the chips.
Avoid temptation
If you can wear out your willpower, it makes sense to avoid temptation to lessen the depletion. If you are choosing to drink less, don’t go to a bar. Want to eat healthier? Don’t buy junk food. Need to finish that project? Turn off distractions like Facebook and stop checking email or playing endless hours of Solitaire. When you avoid temptations, you will automatically feel like you have more willpower.
Be true to yourself
Suppressing your personality and preferences is exhausting. Psychologists have found that people pleasers could be at a disadvantage when it comes to exercising willpower. Your resolve is much stronger when you hold true to your internal goals and desires.
One step at a time
It would be impossible to avoid temptation all together. Oftentimes, people give up not because they lack willpower but they become overwhelmed with the large goal they may have set for themselves to accomplish.
Break down your large goal into smaller achievable chunks. As the saying goes, “How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.” Have a plan and create an intention.
For example, if you are trying to drink more water, you might tell yourself, “When I reach into the cooler for a diet soda, I will grab a bottle of water instead.” Plan to go to the gym or for a run in the morning by laying out your workout gear, making it effortless to get dressed and out the door in the morning.
Exercising your willpower muscle will increase its strength, but be mindful of when it’s time to take a break: When that muscle becomes fatigued, that’s when it might be time to just relax, replenish, and nourish that part of you that just needs a good book, a massage, or just a little meditative time to regroup and hit the ground running once again — tomorrow.
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