Develop Willpower And Self-Control- Change Your Behavior

June 3, 2024 John Uncategorized No comments

Develop Willpower And Self-Control- Change Your Behavior

Willpower and self-control are crucial ingredients for success. So, how can you develop each one to change your behavior and thought process for the better?

Stay with GenuLines to find out.

Willpower

Mahatma Gandhi said, “Strength doesn’t come from physical capacity. It comes from an indomitable will [power].”

Yet, what exactly is willpower?

Willpower is your ability to turn down and curb inner conflicts. These include short-term temptations to meet long-term goals.

Say you want to supersize your takeout order or smoke a cigarette. But, deep down, you know you shouldn’t.

Or it could come in the reverse. It could be something you know you should do, but keep procrastinating to avoid doing it. like going to the gym or filing your taxes.

When you reach this crossroads, that’s when your willpower kicks in. This instantaneous reaction stems from the prefrontal cortex (PFC).

This front part of the brain regulates behavior and decision-making abilities.

So, the first thing you need to do to develop your willpower is to keep your prefrontal cortex in good shape by:

Getting quality sleep each night

Eating a nutritious, well-balanced diet

Exercising 3–5 times a week

Managing stress

Can We Run Out of Willpower?

Experts say that we have a finite stockpile of willpower. You start your day with only so much and the more you use it, the faster you run out.

Take, for example, trying to control your temper on your way to work, at work, then on your way back home from work. You also use up your willpower when you try to ignore distractions.

Things like helping your kids with their homework. Or working out a compromise with your partner.

Our willpower gets worn out from all that repetitive use. Muck like our actual muscles do.

How to Develop Your Willpower

Check out these tips to increase your reserve of willpower.

Learn breathing techniques

Practice daily affirmations

Meditate each day

Focus on what’s important now by postponing what you shouldn’t do for later

Limit your intake of addictive substances, like alcohol and nicotine

Self-Control

Self-control the “restraint exercised over one’s impulses, emotions, or desires.” It works side-by-side with willpower.

When you practice self-control, you direct your willpower toward the outcome you want.

This means that at times, you’ll have to not do something, like when you want to eat healthy and pass on the supersize meal. It also means that there will be times when you have to put in a conscious effort to do something.

Like building good habits or getting started on those taxes.

Ego Depletion

And, as with willpower, it’s also finite. So each time you use self-control, your power to make sound decisions diminishes a little.

This goes on until you start again the following morning. This is what experts refer to as ‘ego depletion’.

It happens because you spend most of your time trying your best to focus on making decisions and exerting your willpower.

So, it’s no surprise that by the end of the day, you feel depleted and exhausted. And your thinking becomes incoherent.

You’re less able to make choices you won’t regret in the morning.

How to Develop Self-Control

You can improve your levels of self-control and reduce the impact of ego depletion. Many of these ways rely on the same techniques used to boost your willpower. like getting good sleep and managing stress.

Others are a bit different. Take a look:

Learn how to regulate your emotions.

Practice self-compassion.

Become aware of your wants and needs to direct energy toward self-improvement.

Be efficient in managing your time and energy more.

Create short and long-term goals to stay motivated.

JohnK 6-3-2024

chiforyourself.com

Overheard: “Self-reverence, self-knowledge, self-control; these three alone lead life to sovereign power”