How do I strengthen my willpower?
Ever done diet after diet after diet and confused as to why nothing sticks? You’re trying so hard but those chocolate bars look way too tempting and “will power sucks!” Don’t worry, you’re speaking to the majority!
But if it’s so normal, why are we struggling so much? Well when we’re focusing on willpower we are focusing directly on avoiding the thing we want the most. Instead, what if we focus on creating habits, stacking habits and creating new pathways in our brains?
Habits are behaviours embedded within our subconscious autopilot designed to make our lives easier by removing the need for us to think. (Lally, P. and Gardner, B., 2013). Unknowingly and knowingly our day is full of habits from the moment you wake up to brushing your teeth to grabbing that morning coffee or getting the kids ready. We suddenly get to work and ask ourselves “how did I actually get here?” Our autopilot was switched on and we went through every stage without conscious thought.
This shows us that we can very easily create new habits and also break old ones when new habits become more important. An example might be: I used to wake up at 7am, have a shower and have breakfast my new routine since having a baby is to wake up at 6am, feed my baby, wash their bottles and then have breakfast. Looking after your child is important to you, so your habits immediately changed.
So one may say that to create a habit, you need to have something behind this that’s of great importance. So behind the want to stop buying chocolate bars, focus on understanding your WHY; my cholesterol is high, I want to avoid diabetes, I want to strengthen my immune system, I want to be there for my family, I want to prevent disease or I need to reduce my obesity are a few reasons why you may want to change.
Secondly, facilitate that habit. If the new habit is to exercise in the morning, set an alarm, get your workout clothes ready from the night before and perhaps inform your family so you’re undisturbed.
Thirdly, for a habit you’re struggling to integrate think about habit stacking. Add this new habit onto a habit that already exists. If you’re trying to get in your pelvic floor exercises, attach it to when you’re having breakfast. If you’re trying to meditate, associate meditation with brushing your teeth so one habit immediately flows onto the next.
And lastly, focus on repetition. Habits are well integrated when repeated. Repeat, repeat, repeat and you will find that you’re succeeding in your new endeavours; slowly but surely, everything will feel like it’s falling into place.








