Jumpstarting your life and health may seem daunting. Attempting to change your life 180 degrees with big goals may leave you disappointed and frustrated with yourself. Ultimately you may feel you’ve failed yourself yet again and revert back to your old habits. You will set yourself up for success and increased confidence by focusing on small shifts and goals until they become sustainable habits.
Below is a list of eight first actions, each related to a specific ritual category, to create momentum and increase energy so that you can more deeply address behavioral and habitual changes to create your best self and life.
The links provided lead to ritual pages, where you can take a deeper dive into any given area and learn how these actions support each goal.
To begin, follow these instructions:
- Pick one action from the list below
- Set a specific time in your schedule or set up an alert on your phone to practice the goal
- Keep track of how many days out of the next 30 you practice the goal
- Assess the outcome of the goal the end of 30 daysDo you have more energy?
- Is the ritual sustainable?
- Is it something you would like to keep as a habit going forward?
Stress Well (Downshifting Rituals)
- Practice deep breathing.
- Take three deeps breaths as many times a day as you can.
- How to Relieve Stress in 60 Seconds: Deep Breathing Exercises
- Joy On Demand The One Thing
- Cultivate gratitude.
- Think of one thing you’re grateful for while you're brushing your teeth or eating breakfast and hold it throughout your day.
- Brene Brown on joy and gratitude
- Cultivate kindness and compassion.
- Once a day, send thoughts of kindness and compassion to someone you care about.
- Make it a goal to be kind and compassionate to yourself.
- 3 Habits to Develop Compassion by Chade-Meng Tan from “Search Inside Yourself”
Feel Well (Physical Rituals)
- Nourish yourself better.
- Drink at least one glass of water at each meal.
- Add at least one fruit or vegetable serving to your day.
- Cut your portion in half at one meal.
- Move more.
- Park in a spot further away from your destination
- Practice one yoga posture daily.
- Improve your sleep ritual
- Go to bed 15-30 minutes earlier than usual.
- Turn off screens (technology and TV) at least 30 minutes before bedtime.
- Turn down the temperature in your house to between 60 and 67 degrees.
- 10 Bedtime Rituals for Better Sleep
- Tips to Improve Your Sleep
Mind Well (Mental Rituals)
- Commit to a daily dose of vitamin N (nature).
- Spend 5-10 minutes outside each day sitting or walking.
- Vitamin N (Nature)
- Spend 5-10 minutes in silence and/or stillness each day.
- Turn off the radio in your car at least once a day
- The Art of Stillness: Adventures in Going Nowhere
- Living Luminaries –Classroom of Silence
Did you achieve a first goal? If you feel ready to continue to work on yourself, visit the rituals section to explore more ways to support a life of healthy aging.
If you’re ready to take a deeper dive in building self-assurance, identifying obstacles and cultivating habit change, click here to schedule an introductory session with me.
- Schedule a Strategy Session with me.
- Ready to invest in yourself? Schedule a single session with me.