Even though it’s only January, this year has already been filled with so many ups and downs. I’ve tried so hard to commit to some new habits and develop new skills, but it’s been tough with the COVID restrictions and questionable weather. Healthy habits have always been something I’ve struggled with and if you feel the same, then this article is for you. Here’s a breakdown (and a rant, if I’m being honest) on some of the healthy habits I’ve tried to develop and why they always seem to fall through.
Sometimes, habits are really hard to build and commit to. You can always say that you want to do something and say that you want to commit to it, but sometimes extenuating circumstances pop up or plans change, and you end up dropping your habits. The New Year is always a great time to come up with new ways in which you want to change for the better. Recently, I came up with some of my own habits that I planned on sticking to throughout the year. But with the COVID restrictions in Ontario commencing almost immediately after the New Year, those habits slowly became the least important thing on my to-do list. Online school started up yet again and classes immediately flooded my time. At the beginning of the semester, I was too caught up with trying to figure out what I had to do and when it was due rather than focusing on, for example, going on a walk every day, or writing in my journal. All of those things seemed minimal compared to the immense amount of stress I got thrown into merely four days into the New Year. Going on walks and writing in my journal could wait, or so I thought.
I slowly realized that the longer I put these habits off, the worse my mental health got. I was so committed to staying caught up in school that I managed to prioritize my time in the wrong way and ended up putting my schoolwork first instead of my mental health (which should never be the case). The COVID restrictions put in place in Ontario certainly didn’t help as I was, yet again, stuck in my apartment with nothing but a laptop and a charger (at least that’s how it felt). Now that the semester has progressed a little more and I feel somewhat more comfortable, I’ve started to prioritize these habits more in my life. I’ve realized that if my mental health is not well, then nothing else should really matter.
Mental health is a huge aspect of habit forming. Although developing and sticking to habits can benefit your overall mental health, if you’re trying to develop them while maintaining poor mental health, it can be really hard. It can almost feel like a burden and like it’s too much of a commitment. It could be overwhelming and stressful, which can ultimately make you fail in your habit quest and end up making you feel even worse about yourself. If there’s one take-away from my previous month of stress and hardships, it’s that mental health should always be the top priority. If you’re not happy or feel lost or stressed, then nothing else will fall into place until you fix how you’re feeling.
Finding activities and things to do for yourself which benefit your happiness is really important to habit forming. I know it’s easier said than done, but I’m a firm believer that if you put in the work to make yourself happier, the rest should fall into place. If you’ve been feeling down lately or have been hard on yourself for your inability to develop habits or stick to them, you’re not alone. There are tons of things that tend to screw up and cause our whole trajectories to change. All in all, listen to your mind and take time for yourself if you feel like you need it. Trust me when I say that happiness will make everything else 100 times better.