How to strengthen your will power?
The will power physiology
This things need a will power to begin with, but they are gonna give you far more will power back.
- good sleep (very important)
- exercise (very important)
- meditation
- plant based diet (vegan) or low glycemic diet (spikes in sugar in the blood screws up how the brain uses energy)
Encouragement over criticism
If you broke will power you are more likely to break it again if after it you blame yourself and you are an asshole to yourself. Conversely, If you are self-compassionate you are more likely to not to break it again.
When we are feeling stressed out guilty and ashamed that puts as into version of ourselves that is much more susceptible to intermediate gratification temptation and anxiety. It is a biologically opposite state for your brain and body to remember you’re long term goals and other versions yourself than a current one.
Study: Stressed people who believed that the stress in harmful to them died the most often. Stressed people who didn’t believe stress is harmful died the least often.
Predict a will-power failure
- Study: people who wanted to exercise where told to write everyday how they will be failing it. Outcome: They were exercising twice as much than average.
- When planning on habit use the following script: Obstacle Name – How to prevent it? • How to get back on track? • When and where it is this most likely to occur?
Other
For me: take 3 breaths (and observe physiology). If this doesn't help take another 6 breaths.
Be mindful of how the urge, that would cause will power failure, feels like in the body. Our physiology is like a wave. With time the urge is gonna fade. Observing this process help resist the urge
Study: People addicted to cigarettes were sat together and were given the following instructions: take out the pack of cigarets, wait 2min, take out the cigaret, wait 2 min, smell the cigaret, wait 2 min etc., put it in your mouth, wait 2 min. This went for two hours and at the end they weren't aloud to smoke. The group of people who trained this way had a lot higher success in getting out of addiction than some nicotine replacement plans.
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How to strengthen your will power?
The will power physiology
This things need a will power to begin with, but they are gonna give you far more will power back.
- good sleep (very important)
- exercise (very important)
- meditation
- plant based diet (vegan) or low glycemic diet (spikes in sugar in the blood screws up how the brain uses energy)
A will power failure message
Here is a script for message to yourself after a willpower failure:
- Mindfulness of thoughts and feelings Experience and accept how you think and feel right now.
- This is a universal state Recognize that will power failure is what happens to people. It is not saying anything about me, who I am. This is part of the process universal to all the people.
- Encouragement over criticism Treat yourself alike you would treat your friend or your kid. Pat yourself on the back and be a supporter of yourself.
Be compassionate
If you broke will power you are more likely to break it again if after it you blame yourself and you are an asshole to yourself. Conversely, If you are self-compassionate you are more likely to not to break it again.
When we are feeling stressed out guilty and ashamed that puts as into version of ourselves that is much more susceptible to intermediate gratification temptation and anxiety. It is a biologically opposite state for your brain and body to remember you’re long term goals and other versions yourself than a current one.
Study: Stressed people who believed that the stress in harmful to them died the most often. Stressed people who didn’t believe stress is harmful died the least often.
Make friends with your future self
The more you feel that your future self is a stranger the less likely you are to care about them. The key is to render your future self as a continuity and effect of your present self
- Write a letter from your future self to your present self. Write who you are: what are you doing, where are you living
- Describe some challenge that you are dealing with right now. Write from your future self a letter to your present self thanking for dealing with it. What was you did? Why it mattered?
- Imagine yourself in the mundane situation in the future: doing grocery shopping.
Predict your failure
- Study: people who wanted to exercise where told to write everyday how they will be failing it. Outcome: They were exercising twice as much than average.
- When planning on habit use the following script:
- Obstacle Name – How to prevent it? • How to get back on track? • When and where it is this most likely to occur?
Surf the Urge
For me: take 3 breaths (and observe physiology). If this doesn't help take another 6 breaths.
Be mindful of how the urge, that would cause will power failure, feels like in the body. Our physiology is like a wave. With time the urge is gonna fade. Observing this process help resist the urge
Study: People addicted to cigarettes were sat together and were given the following instructions: take out the pack of cigarets, wait 2min, take out the cigaret, wait 2 min, smell the cigaret, wait 2 min etc., put it in your mouth, wait 2 min. This went for two hours and at the end they weren't aloud to smoke. The group of people who trained this way had a lot higher success in getting out of addiction than some nicotine replacement plans.