Patience When Starting a New Habit

Five Ways Patience Looks and Feels When Starting a New (healthy) Habit

"The two hardest tests on the spiritual road are the patience to wait for the right moment and the courage not to be disappointed with what we encounter.” – Paulo Coelho

So you have set out to develop a new healthy habit.  Perhaps you have chosen to practice meditation or nourishing, mindful movement. (You are here at the Mindful Movement, after all)  Well done, you, for attempting to begin a new and healthy practice any time during these last 18 months. Every start of something new begins with high hopes and fantastic intentions.

And then (cue the pensive, emo music), life somehow manages to “get in the way” via work, homelife, relationships, illness, depression, fatigue, cravings, or feelings of failure. (It’s a human path, and everyone experiences it, so be comforted in the fact you’re not alone in this turn of events!)

It may feel helpful as you’re starting a new behavior to be patient with yourself and the process you’re in.

“The two most powerful warriors are patience and time.” – Leo Tolstoy

Here’s how patience can look and feel as you move through any habit change or creation:

1. Reminding yourself that you’re not perfect --that even doing the new thing you’ve chosen once per week means you’re on track to build a habit that sticks and stays with you.
2. Frequent “tests” from the Universe. Understanding from the get-go that once you make a change the “Universe” will seem to “test” your resolve with any number of new and old barriers to success. It’s not to make you fail---rather, it’s to help you grow your “change” muscles. You’ll need to practice prioritizing your self-care and self-value, and get better at it over time. (Just like if you wanted to do a single pull-up by yourself, you’d have to lift increasingly heavy weights regularly until you could lift YOUR weight.)
3. Being gentle--not critical--with yourself. Any bit of progress with your fledgling practice is fantastic. Instead of berating yourself for NOT getting in 4 meditations this week (for example), congratulate yourself for the two sessions you did complete.  If you need more help with letting go of judgement, check out this recent article.
4. Trust that your efforts will pay off. You began your new habit with an eye toward the results it may deliver. Instead of focusing so hard on the “end game,” shift your awareness to the present moment each time you dive into your new behavior. How does it feel right now? What is your new habit showing you about yourself? When we take the focus off of our main “goals” and into the journey, there are often hidden rewards to be found like peace, acceptance, mental clarity, and self-love, no matter what new practice you’ve chosen.
5. Staying the course. Even if you fall off your healthy behavior, it’s crucial to keep going as soon as you can. The benefits of your practice will come with consistency, not intensity. “Just keep swimming,” as the saying goes, and you’ll find yourself one day in a different and more positive place than when you began. That sense of accomplishment sneaks up on you one day at a time--and perseverance is often its own gift.

Practice this Meditation to cultivate patience.

It’s completely natural to feel discouraged, disinterested and disengaged from your healthy habit from time to time. Sometimes changing HOW you do your healthy thing can help rekindle your motivation, too.   Like walking a different route than you normally do, or choosing a different relaxing locale for the day’s meditation.

It’s another act of patience to tune into what your body needs and wants (even to slow down long enough to listen to those messages!), and then respond to that need. It’s okay to alter or change up your habit as long as you’re working on the same team as your body and heart.

Cultivating patience can often feel like real work. BUT, we cannot develop patience without a challenging pathway in which to practice it. 

To help you “flex” your patience muscles this week, here’s a link to a meditation session we love precisely on the theme of giving yourself a bit of grace as you make the changes you desire in your life.

“Patience is the companion of wisdom.” – St. Augustine

We’d also like to invite you to learn more about supporting a Movement and Meditation practice in our 6-week program.  Here, we’ll teach, support, and encourage you in making your self-care non-negotiable in your life, so that you can finally enjoy the self-made gifts of relaxation, better sleep, clearer mental focus, and confident decision-making.

Here is what one of our students recently said about their experience in the program:

"Having listened to Sara’s meditations, I trusted her motives and thought she would help me to help myself. The course gave me a kickstart and provided a good structure for change and allowed or even legitimized space for thinking. I liked the gentle (non-aggressive) marketing; for me, when the promotion and sell gets too much I switch off.  The space it gave me to re-evaluate my beliefs. When I struggle now I will refer back to this and journaling to guide me."  ~Gaye

Les and I are excited to welcome you into a deeper understanding and love of yourself through gently moving your body and deepening your mindfulness through meditation---two practices that bring about more patience, naturally. 

Take care, friends. We hope to connect soon.

With love and gratitude,

Sara and Les

The Mindful Movement

PS: Be sure to visit this LINK to learn more about our 6-week new healthy habit incubator, Move and Meditate: Self-Care You Deserve For a Lifetime. We’d love to help you make your new healthy habits a reliable part of the life you WANT.

Additional Resources:

If you are looking to dive into the world of meditation, a great starting point is our 4-Day Meditation Journey. This free program is a great resource for beginners and those looking to step back into the practice of meditation.

Members Oasis for: Unlimited access to all Mindful Movement Meditations and Hypnosis Practices; Exclusive Members Only Content added EVERY month; Practice anytime, anywhere.

Purchase your favorite Meditation and Hypnosis practices from the Mindful Movement. You can download an MP3 file to listen to anytime, anywhere with no internet access necessary.

A personalized hypnotherapy session will can support you in making a change you desire.  It would be my honor to help you through the process of change that you are looking for.

Let us know how we can help.  Please feel to leave a comment with any other suggestions, comments, or questions for the community!