Go ahead, start a new good habit....

Is creating a habit part of science? What are our habits? Is it our unconsciousness at work? According to many psychologists, habits are so ingrained in our memory that we don’t even realize what our habits are and if it is a habit. A couple years ago, I read a book, Tiny Habits, and it was mind blowing. I had never really thought about how habits and how or when they are formed. According to BJ Fogg, PhD, founder of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University, explains how habits can be very simple to form. We have a “trigger” that signals us to do something, and we do it. It might be as simple as coming home and dropping your handbag on the chair. Or, how about walking into the kitchen and opening the pantry doors? Some habits have been ingrained in us for so long that we may not realize that we have it. This book was more on how to create a tiny GOOD habit. Fogg explains how he started creating a tiny habit with the flossing of one tooth! Yes, sounds ridiculous. I thought so, but we all have our own struggles, and he evidently did not like to floss! Me neither. I did not floss regularly and now I do. So, here is how we create a tiny habit.

1) Anchor moment: This is the trigger. It reminds us to do the habit.

2) New behavior: A simple task, exercise, or something that you wish to start.

3) Instant celebration: Yes, a woo hoo with the arms is what I do.

Now, I know this sounds crazy, but it works. I have three habits that I formed and have kept for a year and a half. An anchor moment needs to be something that you do regularly and it is such routine that you do not give it much thought. For instance, I make coffee each morning. I open a cabinet. This is now where I keep my calcium and vitamin D. Yes, I was told by the doctor that aging women need to take these vitamins for our bones. I happened to be terrible at consistently taking on a daily basis. In fact, there were very little weeks that I remember for seven days. I have never had to take anything before and could not for the life of me, do it. Now, I open the cabinet, see the jar, take them out, and place them on the counter. I have an issue with taking pills, not sure what the issue is, but I just don’t like taking them. I get my water and swallow them. Done.

You must celebrate🎉! It has something to do with the feel good moment that helps secure the habit. I do actually smile when I place on the counter. If you really think about, it makes sense. If we will continue with something that feels good to us, then most likely we will continue the behavior. It is kind of like that piece of chocolate or that glass of wine, (a couple of my habits maybe not so good). I did not floss daily either. My husband is such a good flosser lol. I was jealous that he religiously flossed his teeth. My good friend is my dental hygienist, and I made her promise me she would not get on to me for flossing. That was the stipulation if I let her clean my teeth 🤔. She only laughed. Now, I floss my teeth. I did what author Fogg did. I leave my floss out next to my toothbrush. I now see the floss, and it speaks to me; Jane Ellen, you need to floss 😁😁. My other tiny habit is really crazy. I lift these little weights on each arm before getting into the shower! I know, weird. I leave these little weights (total of six pounds) on the edge of the tub as the reminder. I have had people over and I have to tell them the story. I do get a few laughs. How crazy is this? Since I decided to share with all of you my tiny habits, I am trying to install a few more. It takes a little work at the beginning. I had a couple that never really took. I was okay with, since I had kept three that were working. Fogg suggest that you think about your anchor if it is not working. Many of us have routines that we do daily. Think about those and try to insert something that you want to do daily. I am wanting a stretching moment. I hear that stretching is so good for us. What is your new tiny habit going to be? Do you want to take a few seconds each morning before getting out of bed and be grateful? Fogg calls this his Maui moment. He says each morning before getting out of bed, “today is going to be a great day”. I like that. If you have audible, the book is available and at a ridiculously great price. I have it on audible and in print. I think it is worth having both. You can listen to it while doing a chore. I wanted the book so I could refer to the charts. Fogg does a great job explaining how these habits work. I want to hear about your new tiny habit! How about drinking more water? I am also thinking about how to reverse some bad habits 🤦‍♀️. I have a few of them. Not near as fun to think about. Oh well, lets do this. I am going to add stretching to my daily routine. Need to come up with my anchor!

Now, I want to share a product with you that I love and you can buy it at almost any drugstore. It is L'Oreal Root cover up. I have been using the light brown have used for three years and it works. You know when your gray hair is showing or maybe your color has changed near the roots and your hair appointment is not for a couple of days? Well, this product does work. I simply spray a very small amount to the area, rub with a kleenex and it is fixed! The Gray is not as apparent. Some people have beautiful gray hair. Mine, not so much. It is blotchy and random. The can says that it is a temporary gray concealer spray😁. Below is a link so you can see what the can looks like! Have a beautiful day!

https://www.lorealparisusa.com/hair-color/root-touch-up/magic-root-cover-up?gclid=Cj0KCQjwkbuKBhDRARIsAALysV7aaR4cbSQ06TWzWqLocIHMJX1WCigvB60Pgcnhmp_FgG_D3DpByfAaAsUYEALw_wcB&gclsrc=aw.ds