Why do habits fail by 4pm?

Hi

Welcome to your weekly wellness tip.

Thank you so much for the response I had to my plea for help in selecting topics for wellness tips. I really valued each and every email I received, it was lovely to hear from so many of you.

The overwhelming response was 'ALL' topics and the winner by a mile was a Friday morning! So, that's what we will stick to. However I have taken a note of the most popular topics to least popular and will ensure that I tailor tips accordingly.

For your interest, the highlighted top three topics were habits, stress management tips/education and healthy eating.

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So why do your habits fail by the afternoon when you had no problem sticking to them first thing?

By late afternoon a busy day of decision making, logistics, demands, emotions and mini stressors has drained your battery. When your nervous system gets overloaded, your brain naturally steps in to protect you by seeking the easiest, fastest comfort available. Cue chocolate biscuits, time on the sofa, scrolling on your phone etc

The secret to habit creation isn't about pushing through, neither is it completely abandoning them on the days you feel you've reached your limit. It's just about stripping them right back and making them very small! So small that you're still able to keep up momentum and progress, however tiny that may feel. For example:

Can't face a 45 minute work out? --->replace with a 5 minute stretch.

Too tired to cook from scratch?--->prep some veg/salad & add to whatever you're having so you're still including fresh ingredients.

No band width for meditation--->time one minute of deep breathing while you boil the kettle.

You are still showing up, it will still feel like progress, it's just switching that all or nothing mindset. Because something is better than nothing at all, which you often find tips you into a better day tomorrow.

Think of a habit you're working on and come up with a much smaller alternative, so you have this in your back pocket on a day you're knackered.

Have a lovely week.

Antonia x