Today, we’ll be closing week 3 with a short exercise to challenge your habits.
You might be familiar with the phrase, “you can’t teach old dogs new trick” as an ode to the notion that changing habits can be hard. An interesting new method for changing a habit was recently proposed by behavioural scientist, BJ Fogg, in which creating change can be easier given that we try a new approach.
If you’d like to give it a go, take a pen and paper, find a quiet spot where you can be uninterrupted for about 10 minutes**.**
- First, identify the change you’d like to implement in your life, by answering this question: What is one habit that you could add into your routine that would help challenge you and your social anxiety ?
- You can set a timer for 1 minute and write down as many ideas as come to mind. Then pick the one you are most excited to try.
Once you’ve written your answer down let’s put it into practice:
- Take your action desired new habit, e.g. Make eye contact with and smile to strangers everyday
- Now break it down into a more manageable action, e.g. I will hold eye contact and smile at one stranger everyday.
- Check: Do I feel like I can do it, just as it is, tomorrow?
- If not - make the action even smaller, something you are sure you can do
It can be good to immediately write it down on your phone or a post it where it is visible to remind yourself of your tiny habit.
What’s next?
Try to commit to your new tiny habit for a week
Once that feels easy or less challenging to do, gently invite yourself to increase it, e.g. I will smile at 2 strangers everyday this week, and so on.
If you notice that you are feeling overwhelmed or have a feeling that you have bitten off more than you can chew, go back and make the habit smaller again until it feels like a slam-dunk.
These steps can help you produce more sustainable change. So, give them a try and challenge your habits. Best of luck ❤️