Alcoholic Anonymous urges its member to thread the path of slow recovery. The organization warns that members who choose a fast-paced way often unknowingly obstruct their efforts to achieve sobriety or any primary goal. The organization understands that the idea of permanently quitting alcohol or any powerful habit can be extremely overwhelming and can cause severe stress to the affected individual. The organization also knows that most people will find the idea of drinking only water for one day a lot more tolerable than giving up alcohol permanently.
Look at it like this, and if you’ve been a lingering couch potato for some time now, it is impractical to believe that you’ll be able to run a marathon and reach the finish line in your first attempt. You’ll probably quit before you get the first mile. It is crucial to understand that you’ll have a higher success rate if you adopt a more gradual approach with any goal you’ve set in life. Moreover, by achieving incremental successes, your confidence and motivation will skyrocket, and you’ll more likely be focused on the present.
Many alcohol addicts and people who have potent habits that influence their lives negatively do not know how to make these small, gradual changes. Below are some step-by-step actions you can take to make incremental and lasting changes to your life and beat your bad habits.
1. Set priorities
The first step to eliminating your bad habits is to set priorities. Here, you must figure out what is important to you and what you want to achieve and write them down. Commence with the areas of your life that you know will significantly improve the quality of your life if you make changes to them.
2. Create a timeline
It is easier to follow your priorities if you have attached a timeline. The great thing about a timeline is that it helps you stay on track and calculate your results.
3. Eliminate distractions
Now that you have your priorities and have attached them to a timeline, your next step is to stay focused. One way of staying focused is to create an environment conducive to the achievements of your goals. So if, for example, you wish to quit alcohol, you’ll have to make sure that you remove all alcoholic beverages from your home and also do away with all items that remind you of alcohol as these can act as triggers.
4. Overcome obstacles
Whatever you do in life, you’ll encounter obstacles. You will most probably slip up or have to alter your course somehow. The best thing to do is to dust yourself off and try again.
5. Celebrate your wins
One of the advantages of having a step-by-step plan with set priorities is that they are easy to attain in a short time frame, which means you can enjoy the outcomes quickly. Whenever you’ve reached one of your goals, give yourself the needed praise and thanks, or even better, give yourself a tangible reward like a day of pampering at the spa.
6. Evaluate your progress
To reach your goals, you have to stick to your plans; however, this also requires some form of flexibility. At times, you will have to adjust your strategy. By modifying your process, you can achieve more.
This strategy is fantastic since it can be used to change behavior and then apply it in other aspects of your life. If you choose to implement this method in other areas of your life, you will live a more fulfilling, happy, and joyous life. Here are some of the things to do to improve your life further.
7. Consume more vegetables and fruits
When you consume more veggies and fruits, your health improves. If you are not used to having a lot of veggies and fruits on your plate, don’t stress, you can start with small servings or purchase powdered veggies and fruit and add it to your smoothies and meals to make for a healthy, delicious treat.
8. Exercise
Exercise improves your life in many ways. It makes you healthier, but it also makes you happier as it stimulates the release of “happy” hormones. Set aside time each day for a physical activity you enjoy. The best thing about it is that you don’t have to do it all by yourself, invite your best friend to join in the fun.
9. Go to bed early
A happy and healthy existence depends on getting enough sleep. It’s possible to obtain more sleep if you set your bedtime back 15 minutes each night until you’re getting at least eight hours of shut-eye each night.
10. Show your partner appreciation
Express your gratitude to your partner to show them how much you respect and love their friendship. You can express your admiration for them both verbally and via your actions. It’s easy to make someone’s day by making their favorite meal, taking them out to dinner, or bringing them a thoughtful present.
11. Read your kids a bedtime story
Don’t forget to spend time with your kids. Help them with their homework and read them bedtime stories. To deepen your relationship, spend time together doing creative activities or playing in the fresh air.
12. Reflect and pray
Cultivate your spirituality. Start with 5 minutes of meditation, then gradually increase the time as you get better. Don’t forget to read books that strengthen your spiritual life.
Every journey starts with the first step. If you think that your goals are out of reach, the best thing you can do is shorten your perspective and take one step at a time. Focus on the things you can do now and continue to take action towards your goals to make lasting change.