The summer is over. The lazy days, annual leave, summer school holidays have all come to a close and we are looking at getting back into a routine. This feeling can be daunting, exciting, energizing, or hopeful. While January gets the “New Year, New Me” glory, September is also a good time to have a reset. We have been conditioned with a “back-to-school” feeling at this time of year and the fresh start effect is a well documented pattern. This is the time of year where we can start to put new routines in place and maybe this is the year that they actually stick.
September is a chance to “reorient yourself” according to Bas Verplanken, professor emeritus of social psychology at the University of Bath. People who have experienced a big change in their lives “were more responsive to an intervention aimed at promoting sustainable behaviours” when compared to people who had not had big changes happen to them.
"It's really an exciting way of looking at disruption," he told Chris and Xand van Tulleken on their podcast “What’s Up Docs” (https://www.bbc.co.uk/sounds/play/m0031fc6).
If there is something about your routine you enjoy you can ease back into it. But if there are areas you would like to change up, now is the time to explore other ways of doing something and create new habits. Are you stressed about cooking dinner every night? Perhaps now is the time to experiment with meal prepping, creating a weekly menu, or trying out a home cooking box.
Planning is the key component to be able to stick to a new habit. Are you planning to work out more? Schedule it in your diary. Want to eat better? Meal plan so you know what you’re going to have for breakfast/lunch/dinner for the week. Ensure you have healthy food to hand so you don’t automatically go for the junk food snacks. Sick of stressful mornings? Set out your clothes the night before, pack your lunch, or have a go-to breakfast ready so the morning is easier. Set yourself up so the new habit is the easiest option for you. It is making things easier for your future self so Thursday You doesn’t have to think about dinner and grocery shopping after work because you’ve already decided on it earlier that week.
It can be overwhelming to change everything all at once. A huge, radical change in lifestyle can be tempting but ultimately difficult to stick to. Picking one or two new habits to help get to your ultimate goal is more manageable and more likely to be sustainable. For example, this can look like having fruit with your breakfast or making sure you have a glass of water before your morning coffee. Once these are mastered, you can add in another habit you want to pick up. These new habits should be to make your life better and to nourish you - not a punishment.