New Habits Take Time to Build

I don’t know about you (actually, I do because I think we’re all in the same boat), but my life has been anything but routine since March of last year. I was going to the gym on schedule, had my nutrition routine down, made time for my family and friends and felt like work was finally running smoothly.

Then everything changed, and suddenly routine wasn’t even an option. Every week the world was a little different, how could we possibly keep to our old habits and timelines?

As much as I believe in giving ourselves grace during periods of stress and change, I’ve realized it’s time for me to stop making excuses. For the most part, life is almost back to normal. I can go to the gym, I can plan my week, the grocery store is stocked, and work and home feel normal again. But I’ll be honest, it took me a while to get off my butt, stop feeling sorry for myself and get back to my routine. For weeks I’d hit the gym once and then make excuses for not going again. I would eat well for a couple of days, and then carb-binge. I still forgot to take my vitamins… and I run a supplement company!

Change is supposed to take time. Unfortunately, when we went through the changes from Covid, we were hit with them like a ton of bricks. It went from normal life to completely different in a matter of weeks. We’re not built for change like that. Our brains need more time to process and accept new habits, but we obviously didn’t have that opportunity. We have to realize that going back to normal life is going to take far more time.

That doesn’t mean it’s not possible to start now.

This month we’re going to be focused on rebuilding a routine building emphasis on mental health. Over the last year, I’ve had the pleasure of helping my mother build her new company called Minds Matter. My mom is a board-certified psychiatrist who came to realize that the mental health system is broken, and we must find ways to get people the help they need, when they need it. Minds Matter focuses on building plans to improve wellness and mental health, through nutrition and lifestyle changes. This month, you’ll be receiving a couple of articles written by Dr. Denham, and we hope you find them helpful in your transition back to a normal routine.

Today, I want you to focus on one thing that you can change that will help you get back to a better routine. Maybe it’s going to bed on time and not hitting snooze in the morning. It could be as simple as taking your multi-vitamin or putting the phone down and picking up a book. The key is to realize that it’s not all going to happen at once. Real change takes time. New habits take time to build. Give yourself grace and don’t worry about fixing it all at once. Start getting back one good habit today, and you’ll find the motivation to build more over time.

Courtney & Your Wilderness Athlete Family