There is an opinion that willpower is an innate character trait. And precisely because of this, it cannot be increased. Therefore, there are people who initially have high self-control. They succeed. And others just have to live and dream about the best. But actually it is not.
There are a huge number of various techniques, trainings, books and films that clearly demonstrate how to strengthen willpower and temper your character. According to many motivators, psychologists and scientists, willpower is a simple muscle that needs regular exercise.
But you need to understand which exercises strengthen self-control. What exactly needs to be done to check willpower and improve it, increase it in volume. There are two ways.
It is necessary to educate your will. To strengthen muscle fibers, we load them. Once restored, they become stronger. Willpower needs to be trained in the same way. Start looking after your own health. Try to raise your awareness and get your thoughts in order. Form healthy and break bad habits. Get more focused.
Use willpower wisely. Sometimes it is better to avoid getting into a difficult situation so that you do not have to subsequently look for a way out of it. Try to maintain willpower so that in the future it will be enough to solve difficult problems. Form your habits so that many of them are performed automatically, without requiring special volitional expenditures. Learn to prioritize.
Self-control can be enhanced. And for this you need to heed the simplest recommendations..
A good sleep
Get enough sleep. A good, restful sleep has a huge impact on willpower. If a person does not get enough sleep, you will have to make huge volitional efforts to wake up and begin to perform the assigned tasks. Naturally, there is simply not enough willpower for half a day. Many tasks will remain unfulfilled, and at the same time the person will feel as if he has already worked at least 10 hours without rest.
Poor sleep causes constant stress and disrupts the use of energy by the body and brain. This is why people start to feel unwell within a few hours of getting up. But a lot of sleep is also harmful. 7-8 hours a day is the optimal time for sleep.
You also need to train yourself to fall asleep and wake up always at the same time.
The importance of meditation
How to develop and strengthen willpower? Pay attention to meditation. Scientists have found that this is a great workout for our self-control. Through long-term practice, you can significantly increase concentration, awareness. You will also be able to get rid of stress.
It doesn't take long to meditate. You don't need to prepare for it for a long time. Also, you don't have to meditate for hours. Even a few minutes a day is enough to notice the first results. Just get in a comfortable position, close your eyes and clear your head of thoughts. At first, it will be extremely difficult to do this. However, Kelly McGonigal in her book on willpower noted that even the most unsuccessful meditation is good.
Changes can be noticed as early as 2 months after the start of meditation. And for this, it is enough to spend only 10 minutes daily on the process.
Healthy lifestyle
How to strengthen willpower? Not only does adequate sleep play an important role in enhancing self-control, but also a healthy lifestyle. You need to find time for sports in your schedule. It is recommended that you be mindful of your diet. According to many scientists, you need to eat right.
It is with food intake that most people have problems. It is very difficult to eat only healthy food, when a variety of burgers have already been invented and bakeries have opened in almost every home. But it is training and nutrition that play a huge role in strengthening willpower.
It has already been proven that volitional efforts expend energy. And the more there is, the stronger our self-control. We stop taking care of ourselves, our life, when there is no energy. And training and proper nutrition have a positive effect on energy reserves. They increase when a person leads a healthy lifestyle.
How to strengthen willpower? It is enough to eat regularly, eat more plant foods, add seafood to the diet so that the body receives the necessary substances in the required quantities.
Regular exercise increases endorphins, decreases body fat, and improves blood flow to the brain. Sport also has a beneficial effect on immunity.
All this together helps to increase energy reserves and strengthen willpower. Studies have shown that people who have lived healthy for several weeks have virtually stopped smoking and drinking alcohol. It was also found that playing sports helps to achieve more significant heights in business.
As a conclusion
Do not be too critical of yourself and your own achievements. Show compassion. According to many studies, it's not self-criticism that helps you achieve success, but compassion. People are ready to fight their flaws and weaknesses only when they acknowledge and accept them.
Positive changes in our life happen only when it comes to understanding that falls and mistakes are normal. Only in this case we begin to think how to learn from our own oversights a lesson, how to avoid them in the future. And if you want to learn how to build willpower, learn to treat your own failures with compassion, not criticism.
