Geeky wellbeing favourites: November
Self-care habits – how to build them and keep them going
I’ve been thinking a lot about habits lately – how they form, what they are for, how to build them and how to break them. Maybe it’s that “back to school” feeling that you never quite escape despite pretending to be an adult.
Habits make life easy. Because they are basically automatic behaviours, we just do whatever the behaviour is without thinking, taking willpower out if the equation completely. If they are ‘bad’ habits, that can be challenging as they can be hard to break; but if they are ‘good’ habits, well, that’s one less thing to worry about.
In the context of the mind–body connection, these might be habits of self-care, behaviours that focus on keeping body and mind healthy so that we are better equipped to face life and all the challenges that come with it.
On a personal level, I’ve been focusing on:
My yoga self-practice, which has been appalling lately (due to life, house, builders etc – excuses, excuses, excuses)
Exercise, including running (which I hadn’t done in a couple of months) and swimming (thankfully, my daily walks are now very much strongly habitual and I crave them, even if that means going for a quick stroll around the block in the evening)
Meditation – I’m on a meditation teacher training right now with the hope that I can re-ignite my daily sitting
Journalling, another one that is now very habitual, even if it’s just one page
Not eating sweets every day, a stress-eating coping mechanism that has been going on all year and has meant that I have definitely put on weight (oh, and I bought scales. I am definitely less scared of them now)
So, influenced by my own habit journey, this month we focus on habits. Perhaps that will inspire you to build on your own self-care habits and contribute a tiny bit to your mind–body health. Enjoy!
Do you live in or near London? Want to join me for an afternoon of self-care (aka poetry, yin yoga and yoga nidra) ?
Read
There are tons of books out there about habits (among my writing group alone, we were reading three different ones, and I’m sure there are many more). I honestly haven’t read them all so I don’t know how they compare. But what I can say with some certainty is that “Good habits, bad habits” by Wendy Wood is an excellent and insightful read by an expert in the field.
If it’s a self-help book you’re after, this might not be for you – this does read more like a popular science book covering research in the field of behavioural science and habits in particular. For me, that’s a bonus, as I can take it a lot more seriously. But don’t worry, it is accessible and, importantly, actionable on how you can apply the research to your every day life.
Here is an interview with the author, where she talks about the book, which will give you a flavour of the type of content it covers.
Read a bit more
I really wanted to recommend this podcast by behavioural science experts Irrational labs for the ‘Listen’ section of the newsletter. I really really wanted it to be good. I really didn’t think it was (although you’re very welcome to have a listen yourself and tell me what you thought).
Instead, read the blog post that accompanies the episode on exercise habits, which is an excellent introduction to building exercise habits (and busts some well-known myths like how long it takes to form one). And while you’re at it, have a look at this blog post on learning too.
Practice
I have a confession. My yoga nidra habit is not in a good place either. I’m so much better at giving advice than putting the advice to practice myself, sigh.
When I want to get back into it I always go back to an old favourite – this 20 minute yoga nidra by my lovely teacher and mentor, Jennie Wadsten. Enjoy!
Do you have your own yoga nidra recordings (in English) ? Would you like to be featured in the newsletter? Then get in touch!
Yoga science highlights
Another slightly disappointing month (some really weird journals – I have said before that I’m a bit of a journal snob), but here some studies that piqued my interest:
Yoga vs tai chi: Ever wondered which is better? (especially, if, like me, your partner practices tai chi). Well, according to this study, both Iyengar yoga and tai chi are good at improving strength, balance and balance confidence among older adults, although tai chi was slightly better at strength building and Iyengar yoga at building balance. With the usual caveats on study size and lack of access to full study to scrutinise methodology.
Mind–body interventions as part of treatment plan for anxiety: This is a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials looking at mind–body interventions like yoga and mindfulness for the treatment of anxiety disorders. Although there isn’t enough evidence to recommend them as the primary (ie the main or only) treatment for these conditions, the authors conclude that there is basically no harm in recommending a mind–body intervention as part of a broader treatment plan. A bit non–committal but positive nonetheless!
Yoga helps living despite back pain: This study compared yoga with physical therapy or education for the treatment of chronic low back pain in patients from low income backgrounds (mostly female and black). Yoga and physical therapy were both effective at improving people’s confidence in being able to do the things that they want to do despite their pain (known as pain self-efficacy). In other words, they helped those living with chronic low back pain to keep on living as normal as possible.
From the blog this month
Does yoga really support a healthy immune system? – They say the immune system is complicated. Understanding how yoga affects it is just as bad.
How stress messes up your immune system (and where yoga fits in) – Stress really fucks up the immune system in various different ways. Yoga’s positive effects on our immunity are likely due to its effects on our stress levels.
Is yoga guilty of perpetuating the ‘natural is best’ fallacy? Am I? – In the yoga world, we have a tendency to prefer and promote a preference for all things natural. Herbal remedies. Clean eating. 'Natural' beauty products. But natural is not always better. In fact it may be why some people are not getting vaccinated.
You may have missed
Intrigued by behavioural science and how fits into the mind–body connection? Check out these posts:
What having a vitamin B12 deficiency taught me about behavioural science –Why do we do the things we do? Why do we make some changes in healthy behaviours and fail at sticking to others? What does this have to do with yoga?
How to form a yoga habit – Use behavioural science tool to help form yoga (and other healthy) habits.
Why everyone should practice yoga – Yoga is a tool for empowerment; practicing yoga may help us feel more engaged with our health.
Now go on and form some new, self-care and mind–body-caring habits!