Hacking your daily routines and automatic mind can unlock better success and improved bipolar wellness.
Making even small changes to your lifestyle or wellness plan can feel overwhelming. After all, change rarely happens on its own.
The good news is that there are strategies to make this transition easier. You can work toward your goals without relying solely on willpower or exhausting your energy — especially if you’re already feeling drained from a mood episode, such as bipolar depression.
RELATED: How to Build Better Habits for Bipolar Stability
Instead of pushing yourself to force change, you can gradually adjust your daily environment and routines. These subtle shifts can help reshape your reality into one that naturally supports your success.
5 Ways to Establish New Habits for Bipolar Stability
Forming lifelong habits starts with training your brain to succeed at small adjustments and celebrating those victories, explains BJ Fogg, PhD, creator of the Tiny Habits method, author of Tiny Habits: The Small Changes That Change Everything, and former director of the Behavior Design Lab at Stanford University.
According to Dr. Fogg, the key is designing behavior changes so they fit seamlessly into your existing routine — just like brushing your teeth before bed.
1. Identify Your Goal and Easy-Win Behaviors
Begin by identifying a specific goal you want to achieve. Then, select small, achievable actions — what Fogg calls “tiny habits” — that can help you reach that goal. These are simple tasks you can easily incorporate into your day, like doing a single push-up before getting dressed or doing five squats while waiting for your tea or coffee to brew.
2. Pick a Prompt — Attach a New Habit to an Existing Routine
Once you’ve set your goal and identified manageable steps, the next step is to link your new habit to an existing routine.
Daily activities like brushing your teeth, making coffee, or getting dressed provide natural opportunities to anchor new habits. By integrating your new behavior into these routines, you make it easier for the habit to stick.
Start small and gradually expand your new habit until it becomes second nature.
3. Understand Your Intentional Mind vs. Your Habitual Mind
Habits are powerful, with research showing that nearly 40 percent of our daily actions are automatic, governed by our habitual mind. Wendy Wood, PhD, emerita provost psychology professor at the University of Southern California, emphasizes the importance of recognizing this dynamic.
Tapping into your intentional mind — through mindfulness — allows you to shift from unconscious behaviors to deliberate choices. Practicing mindfulness helps you exercise more control over your actions, enabling you to align them with your goals.
4. Disrupt Old Cues and Create New Ones
To establish new habits, it’s important to break old patterns. Dr. Wood suggests eliminating the cues that trigger unfavorable habits to make room for healthier behaviors.
For example, if your goal is healthier eating, move unhealthy snacks to a high shelf or the back of the freezer, where they’re less accessible. By removing these visual triggers, you make it easier to reach for nutritious options instead.
5. Celebrate the Small Victories
Positive reinforcement is a cornerstone of habit formation. Celebrating even the smallest wins — like giving yourself a fist pump — can make a significant difference.
Though it may feel silly, acknowledging your accomplishments out loud boosts your morale and reinforces the behavior, creating a positive feedback loop. These small celebrations accumulate over time, helping you build momentum and take consistent steps toward your larger goals.
RELATED: Bipolar Disorder and the Quest for Mood Stability
By incorporating these strategies, you can create lasting habits that support bipolar stability — one small, meaningful step at a time. Each tiny victory builds confidence, proving that progress is possible, even during challenging times. With patience and persistence, these habits can become powerful tools to help you navigate your days with greater balance and resilience, guiding you toward a healthier and more fulfilling life.
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UPDATED: Originally posted Dec. 10, 2021
