Healthy Habits, Mental Health and Wellbeing
What kind of habits have you employed in your life? Are they healthy or not so much? What impact do they have on your health - mentally, emotionally, physically and spiritually? Do they serve you well? Or have you found yourself becoming a slave to them?
Habits play an enormous role in our lives, either for our good or to our detriment. In particular, developing healthy habits is key in fostering our nervous system health, mental health and holistic wellbeing. From the Polyvagal Theory perspective, which focuses on the connection between our nervous system and social engagement, to the teachings of James Clear in his book ‘Atomic Habits’, developing healthy habits can have a profound impact on our lives.
The Polyvagal Theory, developed by Dr. Stephen Porges, suggests that our nervous system has three states:
Ventral Vagal
Sympathetic
Dorsal Vagal
The ventral vagal state is associated with feelings and experiences of safety, security, connection, and social engagement. On the other hand, the sympathetic state is activated during stress or danger, leading to fight or flight responses. The dorsal vagal state is linked to shutdown and immobilisation.
By cultivating healthy habits, we can activate our ventral vagal state more frequently, promoting feelings of safety and connection. Engaging in activities such as exercise, meditation, and spending time with those we love and trust can help regulate our nervous system and reduce stress. These habits create a positive feedback loop, reinforcing our sense of wellbeing and promoting greater holistic health.
James Clear's book, ‘Atomic Habits’, provides valuable insights into the process of habit formation. Clear highlights the importance of small, incremental changes that compound over time. He suggests focusing on the identity we want to cultivate rather than solely relying on willpower. By aligning our habits with our desired identity, we can create lasting change.
When it comes to developing healthy habits, Clear introduces the concept of habit stacking. This involves pairing a new habit to an already existing one, making it easier to integrate into our daily routine. For example, if you want to start a meditation practice, you can stack it with your morning routine by meditating for a few minutes while sitting and drinking your morning coffee.
Clear also emphasises the importance of our environment in shaping our habits. By ensuring our environment is conducive to establishing and maintaining healthy behaviours, we can set ourselves up for success. This can include removing temptations, creating visual cues, and surrounding ourselves with supportive individuals.
I would love to encourage you to consider incorporating Clear's teachings with the principles of Polyvagal Theory (as mentioned above). Discover how developing healthy habits can positively impact your mental health and wellbeing. By engaging in activities that promote safe, secure social connection, such as joining a community group or volunteering, we have the opportunity to activate our ventral vagal state, leading to an increase in experiences of safety and belonging.
Regular exercise is another essential habit that benefits our mental health. Exercise releases endorphins, which are natural mood boosters. It also reduces stress and anxiety, improves sleep quality, and enhances cognitive function. By making exercise a habit, we can improve our overall wellbeing and resilience to stress.
Practicing mindfulness and meditation is yet another powerful habit for mental health. These practices help us cultivate present-moment awareness, reduce rumination, and enhance emotional regulation. By integrating some form of mindfulness activity into our daily routine, we can develop a greater sense of calm and clarity throughout our day.
Hopefully it's becoming clear that healthy habits are vital for our mental health and holistic wellbeing. They activate our ventral vagal state, promoting feelings of safety and connection. Habit formation provides practical strategies for developing and maintaining healthy habits. As we integrate small, incremental changes into our daily routine and align our habits with our desired identity, we have the ability to create lasting positive change. Whether it's exercise, mindfulness, or social engagement, these habits have significant power to bring transformative change in our lives and strengthen our mental health and overall wellbeing moving into a more holistically, healthy future.