This past Sunday I shared form the platform about my struggle with anxiety and what steps I have learned to put in place to help me when it decides to show up, often unexpected.  I talked about things like exercise, drinking plenty of water, and trying to gain some positive self-awareness.  I also mentioned that I try to read books to help me grow as a leader, as a Christian and, ultimately, as a healthy person.  

One book that has revolutionized how I approach my schedule, time, and habits has been Atomic Habits by James Clear.  I knew there were habits I wanted to break, and others that I wanted to gain, but the idea of starting something new on top of an already busy schedule seemed daunting.  The idea that I could improve how I dealt with situations outside of my control seemed a little like a fantasy.  

I knew the words of Colossians 3, especially verse seventeen where it says:

And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

I knew the importance of rooting my life in Christ because of what He has done for me.  But I didn’t practically know how to best reframe what I did on a day to day basis, especially when it came to starting good habits, and breaking bad ones.  I wanted to learn how to make my words and deeds be done in the name Christ.

I had goals.  I had a vision of what I wanted my life to be and I’m sure you also have a vision of how you want to be spending your time.  Whether it is how you are going to spend your time during Quarantine or how you plan to spend it once the new normal sets in.   So if you find yourself wanting to develop healthy habits, break bad habits, or if you are just wanting to improve upon the habits you already have I hope these four insights from the book Atomic Habits can be of benefit to you.

1. Stacking Your Habits

First off, I love how practical this one can be.  The idea of stacking your habits goes like this: after you do one thing you normally do add one small habit to your routine.  So for the purpose of this blog I am going to focus on one habit I have reshaped in my life.  

I wanted to start my morning off focusing on God.  I know my mind and how fast it goes.  If I don’t start my day with a time of devotion, prayer, and positivity then stress and anxiety inevitably win the “thought-battle” raging in my mind.  

So I set about to stack my habits.  I already had the habit of waking up, getting dressed, and drinking a cup of coffee every morning, so I decided to tag my new habit onto that set routine.  After I got my cup of coffee I sat down in my chair in the corner of our dining room and read a devotion from the YouVersion Bible App.  Before this my devotion time was sporadic.  It could have been in the morning, the afternoon, or right before bed.  I tried to fit it in where I had room.  Now It has become an intentional habit I do in the morning, not just something I try to fit in.  

2. Reframing Your Thoughts

When we reframe our thinking about the habit we want to create we can literally reprogram our brain to want and desire the new habit.  To be completely honest and open for a moment I also kind of dreaded sitting down in silence and reading the Bible.  It’s not that I don’t like the Bible, I love the fact that we have the very words of God to encourage us.  My problem is that I don’t like to be still.  I have a lot of energy and I like to go, go, go!  So the idea of sitting down and reading, or being still and praying, was very unattractive for me.  

When I reframed my thought process from it being a chore I had to do, to an opportunity to hear from God and be in His presence it shifted something inside of me.  I no longer thought about it as simply reading.  I began to think of it as sitting with God over a cup of morning coffee.  A chance to connect, instead of a checklist item to be done.

3. Start Small

Start small.  Start with a manageable and attractive amount of time.  Like I mentioned in the last point, the idea of sitting for an extended length of time used to scare me.  But I started small.  I started with the verse of the day, and then a full devotional plan, and then started to open up my Bible and read multiple passages.  The important part is that I started.  And that’s the beauty of this.  No matter what habit you are wanting to begin you can do a small version of it every day.  Want to be able to do push-ups?  Do one per day.  Want to workout?  Try ten minutes a day.  Want to drink more water.  Drink one cup today.  Want to read the Bible?  Read one verse.  

4. Habit Tracking

And finally one thing that has helped me with my anxiety during all of this is what is called a Habit Tracker.  A simple list of the small habits I want to accomplish that I check off each day that I do them.  Over time it allows me to see where I am excelling and where I need to improve.  Lack of control is the trigger for my anxiety.  The Habit Tracker allows me to control the things I can control in my life.  No one else controls if I work out, drink enough water, practice music, or spend time with God.  I do.  It also allows me to see my streak and keeps me accountable to myself for not breaking it.  It is like my own mini reward system.  Each habit I track started small.  With time each habit has grown, and now my time spent with God is where I wanted it to be, but what I had always thought was going to be too much work. 

What are some habits you are wanting to break?  

What are some habits you are wanting to start?

What are small practical steps you can put in place to begin today?