Mindless Habits Steal Your Life
Spring reminds us of renewal and new life; perhaps even a fresh start. People find that this time of year brings them more energy, enthusiasm, and motivation to throw away the old, unused, or meaningless and bring in the new and beneficial. When we look at families, the same thought process can apply. The following quotes are from working moms who I’ve counseled who realized they had formed unhelpful and sometimes destructive habits and needed to start fresh again. Can you relate to any of them? Here are a few ideas how to spring clean your family’s habits.
10 Unhealthy Habits
- “Forgetting to schedule regular time for myself every day–even if it’s just 10 minutes.”
- “Forgetting to begin dinner at 5:00 pm so that dinner is ready by 6:00 pm. Starting later just isn’t working!”
- “Forgetting to schedule in a proper date night with my husband. It seems to come last on the priority list, but I miss it.”
- “I’ve been allowing my daughter to get away with saying, ‘Okay, I won’t do it again,’ so that I won’t apply the consequences.”
- “We thought we had a flow going with our family activities, but have noticed that we don’t have as much fun time lately. We are going to start using the strategy you taught us again. Thanks!”
- “I’ve seen my girlfriends a lot but it’s always with the children, so I must focus on planning children-free time with my friends.”
- “Forgetting to stick to the homework routine. After relaxing on it a bit I realized that my son began making excuses again, so back to the routine we must go! Should never have let up on him–you told me this would happen, but some of us are slow learners!”
What Habits Need Renewal?
What habits have you formed that need a little renewal? Perhaps it is a personal habit that needs tweaking so that you can be more present or patient with your child, or perhaps it’s a parenting habit that you know you shouldn’t do (like giving in when your child whines). Whatever it is, know that all it takes to change a habit is three steps.
Spring Clean your Family’s Habits
Remember A.C.E. Your Life
- A=AWARENESS. Begin by developing greater AWARENESS that a habit you have isn’t really working for you.
- C=CHOICE. Reflecting on an alternative positive habit and then make a CHOICE to replace the negative one for the new.
- E=EXPERIENCE. Getting consistent support or motivation to continue practicing your new habit for at least 21 days where it will have become your new normal. How does this new EXPERIENCE feel now?
Begin this Spring to look at an area in your life that been nagging you then follow the three steps above, A.C.E. your life. You will be amazed at how powerful changing just one habit can be!