Habits can be healthy or harmful—tough to break, tougher to build, and sometimes even harder to define and maintain. Habits are the daily attitudes or actions we choose that have the power to greatly enrich our lives. Here are six good habits to adopt that can enhance your health, relationships, and happiness, as well as help control your stress.

Tell the Truth
Begin by telling the truth to yourself. What negative or difficult aspect of your relationships, work, health, or life have you managed to keep swept under the rug? Some people have a tendency to hope that something we perceive as unmanageable will go away if we simply ignore it. The truth is, denial only delays a solution. Tell yourself the truth about what is not working in your life. Admitting that change is needed and necessary is the beginning of a newfound solution and success in your life. You will begin moving and living in that success and be amazed at how much time was wasted by not facing the truth.

Be Proactive
Being proactive is an underutilized position of personal power. Rather than waiting for life to happen, making proactive decisions puts you in the driver’s seat. Just as there are sometimes hazards on the highway, there are dangers and scary situations and circumstances in our lives. We can often feel as if we are always behind and never able to catch up. So, ask yourself, what can you be proactive about now that will reduce stress in your life? What can you schedule, arrange, or change that will steer you in a positive direction? Being proactive is important in preventing a number of problems – problems regarding your health, wellness, and happiness.

Finish What You Start
Starting something new can be exciting. We can feel eager and ready to take on a new challenge which can add some pep in our step. However, sometimes the excitement can wear off and the motivation to finish what we started can dwindle. Being halfway committed is a harmful habit than can affect more than just you. Following through with what we say we will do demonstrates our integrity and our responsibility to our word.

Be Grateful
Finding things to be grateful for is a habit that will greatly enrich your life. Being grateful means more than just feeling and saying you are “too blessed to be stressed.” You must live gratefully too! You may find that living with gratefully will open your eyes to all the goodness that surrounds you.

Keep Learning
Learning is not just for students in a classroom. Learning is an exciting lifelong journey that strengthens more than our brains. It enhances our minds, our health, and our outlook for the future. Learning is exciting and can stretch our capabilities and equip us to lead and inspire others. To learn about something that interests us allows us to grow in different ways. What skill, hobby, or work task can you learn more about today?

Always Have a “Plan B”
Having a Plan B demonstrates acceptance to change and adversity. Sometimes our ideal solutions simply don’t work out, and that’s okay. When our “A” plans do work, it is exciting. But when they don’t, it doesn’t have to be the end of the world. Being aware of and open to other ideas and options is a helpful habit to cultivate, for any area of our lives. Continue working toward your ideal plans and solutions, but also be prepared to pivot as needed.

Sticking to healthy habits can come with a bit of trial and error in which you may find extra support to be helpful. If you are looking for guidance in creating and sticking to healthier habits, Centerstone is here for you. Click here to learn more about our counseling services.