The last three months have been crazy, with one stressful event after another, I have been stress eating more than ever. And once I had written the post about logging meals, I had unlocked a ‘get-out-of-jail free card’. I first began by not logging my meals on cheat days, and then as every day seemed like a cheat day, I stopped logging my meals completely. A month on, I can say with full certainty that it was a mistake, a terrible mistake.
In the book ‘The Power of Habit’, Charles Duhigg explains the concept of keystone habits – they are habits which have the power to start a chain reaction. They offer what is known as ‘small wins’ – they help other habits to flourish by creating new structures. So once you create a habit, say eating healthy, you automatically start caring more about your overall health – you start exercising, meditating, journaling, anything that makes you happy.
However, I have realised that the reverse is true as well – giving up a keystone habit ends up ruining all the other good habits. The keystone habit which helped with my weight loss was logging meals, but once I stopped doing that, I ate a ton of junk food, never exercised and stopped meditating. Everything that made me happy, healthy and at peace, took a backseat. Life got in the way, and stress was my only companion.
Logging meals was stressing me out, but giving up on it wrecked havoc. I gained weight, lost interest in exercise and felt too tired to even think of meditation. I have now resolved to never stop practicing a habit completely. Even ten minutes of dedicated effort, whether towards exercise, meditation, journaling or any hobby, can help make you a happier person. You can take a break from everything every once in awhile, but make sure you get back on track. Remember, for any habit to stick, consistency is key.
Thank you for reading! Stay blessed!
©TheKindTempest