Summer Glow-Up: Chapter #1 - Habits & Routine
Introducing the Summer Glow-Up Series! This is the first chapter in the series, where we’ll be talking about building healthy habits and establishing an ideal routine.
Every week this month, we’ll be releasing a new chapter in the Summer Glow-Up series to help you with self-care in every form! So, be sure to come back next Sunday to check out Chapter #2.
What are habits and why are they important?
Habits are necessary to go through everyday life. Every time a new habit is born, it starts with our brain trying to learn something, achieve a result, and our brain remembers the task the more we repeatedly do it.
For example, remember when you were learning to drive? At first, it was hard, right? But now, I bet it’s something you do automatically and not even think about. This is because your brain remembers the task and a habit that has been created. It’s awesome, right? Imagine trying to learn from scratch every time you step into the car!
While the beautiful thing about habits is having everything automatic, it’s also a downside when you are trying to break an undesirable habit. You can see how automatic your brain processes something after doing it over and over. That’s why the phrase “force of habit” exists.
This is why building a routine is incredibly important, the time of the day will be the cue itself for you to perform an action. Once you set the routine up, it’s automatic after you go through it over and over. The hard part is starting - you have to push yourself through the mental state you are used to.
If that’s the case, how can we break habits and build new ones?
The habit cycle contains 3 aspects: cue, routine, and reward.
The cue is the trigger for your brain to go through the habit loop, the routine is the action itself, and the reward is what happens after the habit has been completed (this can be good or bad).
To break a habit, the first step is to recognize the cue and catch yourself before performing the action itself. For example, if the alarm in the morning cues you to hit snooze every morning, then acknowledge that cue (assuming you want to change that).
Then disrupt the habit loop by changing 1 thing. In this case, changing the tone of the alarm may help. After, look for something to replace the original action to feel the same reward. If snoozing gives you more comfort in the morning, give yourself a different reason for comfort. This can be looking forward to a cup of coffee or a nice breakfast! Hold onto that thought and get excited for it (this will help you hop out of bed). The reward remains the same: comfort in the morning.
Photo Credit: Laxmena Medium
Example of establishing a self-care night routine
Cue: After brushing your teeth
Action: Grab your self-care faves and take action!
Reward: Feeling refreshed, moisturized, and ready for a good night sleep
A few of our faves for summer 2021:
UMM Skincare’s body oil in the Modern Abhyanga Kit
Heliotrope’s Mani Pedi Pampering Basket
AbsoluteJOI’s Skin Refining Night Oil
Find them in our Summer Glow-Up Collection!
Resources for establishing new habits
With over 1 million copies sold, Atomic Habits have helped change people’s lives through establishing better routines and habits. If you’re having trouble with motivation to establish a new habit, this is a great resource to get you started!
A New York Times bestseller, The Power of Habit is a great read on how to build a habit over time and make it stick to your routine. Author Charles Duhigg leads you through the science behind building a successful habit and shows you how to transform your everyday life.
These two books are paired perfectly together when starting your summer glow-up journey! Both are amazing resources to help you establish an ideal routine, break undesirable habits, and create new ones (THAT STICKS).
That’s a wrap for this week’s Chapter #1 in the Summer Glow-Up series, be sure to come back next Sunday (July 18th) for Chapter #2: Exercising and Summer Activities!