Slacking Off has No Pay Off

photo by cybertoad
I have seen this happen to other bloggers and I think its been happening to me lately. You get to thinking you can let your guard down. You can't get too comfortable with your anxiety because thats when you start skipping yoga sessions, (haven't done it in forever), skipping medication (I haven't taken it in 2 days cause my prescription ran out and I keep forgetting to pick it up), not taking time to prepare for situations (I have been feeling more anxious than I have in while when I am in social gatherings.) You get to thinking that everything is ok and you are doing so much better so its ok if you skip just this once. You forget how crappy it feels. You forget why you work so hard to prevent and manage it. You start to think you don't need to do so much work.

Its so hard for me to get in the habit of doing what I know I should and its so easy to become lazy and slack off. Then I curse at myself when the anxiety seeps back in. And now I feel overwhelmed at the idea of getting back those good habits I had once formed. Yoga is awesome and I feel so much better after doing it, but it is so hard to make the time when I feel so tired. Taking my meds isn't hard, I am just forgetful and I need to be better about that. Preparing before I go out with others is time consuming and takes a lot of focus and concentration.

I have heard that habits take 21 days to form and only 7 days to break (good habits anyway). An article I found says this about forming habits:

"It takes at least 21 days to form a habit. This means that you have to do something at least 21 times before it begins to become part of your everyday routine. So . . .

1. Decide exactly what you want to do. Write it down and post it where you can see it every day, like your bathroom mirror. Be as specific as possible.
   
   
2. Schedule time to do what you want to do. Again, it takes 21 days to form a habit, so schedule at least 21 days on your calendar and don't let anything get in the way of your schedule. If you miss one of your scheduled days, it's best to start over and schedule another 21 days. You must be consistent and dedicated to doing what you want to do.
   
   
3. Once you reach your 21 days, congratulations! Don't stop now though, schedule another 21 days, and then another and so on, until you do those things you want to do, without even thinking about them . . . like brushing your teeth."

So what I am learning is there is no real pay off when slacking off. Managing anxiety is hard work that has to be done EVERY DAY. So stick to your goals and don't give up. Don't give in, and don't get lazy like me!

P.S. I am going to go more in depth tomorrow on making and keeping goals for those interested.

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