There’s apple pie and chocolate, and even though you promised not to eat food outside your diet, your nervous hands slide into the most appetizing part of your fridge.
Tonight, when you celebrate your best friend’s birthday and drink too much, and even wake up next to a stranger or end up driving your car in a drunken state?
- Do you see you in any of these situations? Often.
- A long-term proposed goal (such as losing weight) conflicts with immediate pleasures (chocolate cake).
- However.
- The immediate and momentary benefit of certain pleasures can undermine our goals.
- As well as the motivation to stay on course to achieve it.
- Them.
But how is it possible that we succumb to temptation when we are fully committed to what we want to achieve?
It seems that our impulsive system tracks the environment in search of stimuli that guarantee pleasure, that value and determine our behavior (go in search of the piece of chocolate cake). Clearly, the magnitude of these impulses is not the same at all times or for everyone, but for multiple circumstances and provisions, so, for example, it is recommended not to go to the supermarket hungry.
On the other hand, we have our thoughtful system, which works by planning and developing the consequences of our behavior. Thinking about what we’re going to do requires a lot of resources and capabilities, but in addition to being difficult, it’s profitable. If we go to the gym regularly, it will become a habit and not an eternal dilemma when we have the sofa at our feet.
Self-control is something we can develop, and that’s why we can learn a lot from people who have managed to quit smoking, lose weight, train for a marathon or study for a competition, for example, however, the goals do not have to be so exemplary; we can take note of these tips to achieve any kind of goal we set ourselves.
1. They are aware of the risks and negative consequences that can lead to harmful behaviors. So, for example, do you make? I mean:?If I’m like a piece of cake, won’t I be able to keep my weekly weight loss goal ?,?If you offer me a cigarette, will I refuse?,? If I don’t train today, will I miss the opportunity to build progress?The fact that we have imagined a critical situation in which we react properly can be of great help not to stray from our path.
2. Increase your personal commitment by explaining to your friends what your goals and action plan are. These people agree that verbally expressing their strategy to tell others reinforces their goals and manages to eliminate unnecessary distractions.
3. Turn your abstract goals into small steps or tasks you need to perform. I mean, this week I’m going to try to stabilize the loss of that half a kilo, go to the gym another day and walk two hours, five days a week.
4. – They are satisfied with the partial achievements and the achievement of their objectives, the fact that they have not lost the 10 kg they wanted does not cause them any agony for thinking about all that they lack to achieve that goal. , each cigarette without smoking, every kilometer traveled causes one or more smiles.
5. Do you also use the “Yes” strategy then? Develop goals and replace old customs with new ones.
6. Change your impulses, establish an association between the external aspect of temptation and something, for example: the image of a piece of chocolate cake is associated with a large ball, a soda bottle with a car accident, etc.
7. Train your memory. Yes, it may sound strange, but the more questions present and accessible we have in our minds, the better we can make our decisions.
8. Think of situations that pose a significant health risk and try to avoid them.
They try to take enough breaks and rest to recover their mental resources and motivation, it is especially important that, in the face of the exhaustion that constantly fights our impulses, there are moments when we take a break and give ourselves a break. whimsy or deviation, but this should be guided and consensual with ourselves, always as much as possible and being flexible.
Decidedly, the path of self-control involves controlling our temptations and exploiting our strengths. The next time you come across a dilemma between an immediate situation and a long-term goal, be sure to imagine your reflexive system and your impulsive system fighting. win this battle?