How often have you heard the anecdote that it takes 21 days to form a new habit? Having tried to master many things, i have found it very difficult to see this play out as simply as it is stated. It is almost as if it is a lie that it takes 21 days to develop a new habit.
It usually plays out something like this. At least for me. I start on an exciting new journey, monotony sets in after a while, i push past that stage where it seems like it’s becoming a habit but then slowly i start missing a turn here or there and before i know it, i am not doing that thing anymore. From playing the violin to speaking a new language, from running like a champ to swimming like a fish, my emotional psyche is littered with unfinished habit loops.
There is another notion that is commonly referred to as the starting trouble — where, there is such a huge barrier against starting something new or daunting. But, in several cases, we start to witness ‘trouble after starting’. This curious case of barrier that forms after you have started to do something and built up some street credibility. The phrase ‘getting back on the horse’ comes to mind — and it’s an apt one because it’s harder to get back because of this small barrier that has formed.
There is a small ray of hope that i have accidentally found. In particular, when it comes to staying a bit more active and fit. Occasionally, i get into a good spot with my running routine and am on a good streak but life happens and i break the streak. Suddenly, there’s a barrier now that i can’t seem to get past. In such times, i have found easing myself in with a daily yoga routine provides a much easier way around this dumb mental barrier.
In particular, the series on yoga with Adriene has been tremendously useful. The simplicity of the guidance and her calmness are infectious. They have often gone a long way to penetrate this barrier with a lot less mental fuss of getting back on the horse. At the end of the day, you have to pick a good way to trick your mind and this method worked wonders.
