4 Ways to Help You Break Old Habits

Do you feel stuck in a rut? What if you could get out of autopilot mode and create the second adulthood you’ve always wanted? Truth is, you can. Yes, it’s easier to do the same ol’ thing you’ve always done rather than to try something new. The hard part is deciding how to break free from familiar habits. With activities such as walking meditation, restorative yoga, journaling and travel, you can start to uncover the true life you really want to live, instead of the one you think you should.

Consider these four ways to get off the merry-go-round and start living your dream life.

1. Practice walking meditation to become mindful

Try walking meditation to clear away mental chatter. The trick is to start paying attention to all your surroundings — from chirping birds or the hum of a city bus rushing by to the way your feet hit the ground — as you walk, says Sara Lazar, an assistant professor of psychology at Harvard Medical School and an associate researcher in psychiatry at Massachusetts General Hospital. “Start with 10 or 15 minutes. The purpose is to set an intention of staying in the present moment” and not letting your mind wander, Lazar says. In a study published in Frontiers in Aging Neuroscience, Lazar and colleagues found that yoga and meditation practitioners show slower rates of decline in intelligence, which includes abstract reasoning and problem-solving, than do nonpractitioners. Walking meditation helps you slow down and quiet your mind so that you can observe a situation, rather than react to it, Lazar says. She also points out that meditation promotes fluid intelligence, which helps people solve problems in new, creative ways and with less frustration.

2. Try restorative yoga to release tension

Consider relieving tension with restorative yoga, a practice that uses props, like foam blocks and bolsters, that support the body, says Kerry Temple-Wood, a yoga instructor and owner of 63rd Street Yoga Studio, in Niwot, Colo. With each pose, pay attention to your breath, especially the exhale, because it connects the mind to the body, Temple-Wood says. “The long, deep exhale tends to settle you into your body and helps shift the mind out of autopilot,” she explains. A small Danish study published in November 2015 in the Journal of Alternative and Complementary Medicine suggests that breath work can increase positive temperament — and that can create favorable effects on character development and self-awareness. Start by lying on your back with your legs up the wall, a gentle pose that suits people of nearly any fitness level, Temple-Wood says. Holding these gentle restorative poses helps relieve tension because you’re “not pushing muscles beyond what they’re able or ready to do,” she notes. Plus, with regular practice, people often report more awareness or mindfulness that helps them handle stress better.

3. Grab a journal to reveal your hidden thoughts and desires

Find some of your favorite pens and a blank journal in which to record your thoughts. Making time to develop a daily journaling practice can help you discover big and small ideas. When you put pen to paper every day, Temple-Wood says, it helps dislodge deeply buried thoughts. “Writing and using a pen gives the subconscious mind a vehicle to find inner expression, versus the rational mind that says, ‘I should do this.’ ” Journaling often provides you with “reflections and kernels of truth” or “hidden gems,” she adds. Be on the lookout for thoughts about whether to leave a friendship or pursue career yearnings that nourish your soul. Keep track of your emotions, too. An August 2016 study, in the American Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease & Other Dementias, suggests that caregivers who journal about their emotions draw more meaning out of their lives, compared with those who write about nonemotional topics.

4. Fire up the passport to boost creativity

Immerse yourself in a new culture to expand your worldview and get your creative juices flowing. Research published in the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology suggests a correlation in people between increased creativity and traveling abroad and living in a different culture. “Our work shows that those individuals who adapt their perspectives and behaviors to the new cultural context, or learn deeply about the new culture, are the ones who get the lasting creative benefits from living abroad,” lead researcher William Maddux wrote in an email. Remember, though, that simply making exotic vacation plans won’t cut it, according to Maddux. Really experiencing a new culture exposes you to a new way of life, traditions and learning opportunities. Of course, not everyone can afford to pick up and move to a foreign country, but there are ways to immerse yourself in a different culture without spending your life savings. Ken Budd, author of The Voluntourist, notes that you can volunteer abroad with various service organizations for as little as one or two weeks. The upside: You'll not only help others, but you’ll connect with locals and experience a country far more intimately than you would as a tourist.