Developing self-control requires a combination of awareness, planning, and practice. Here are 5 effective strategies to help you strengthen your self-control:
- Remove Temptation: Identify and eliminate triggers that can undermine your self-control. Just as you wouldn’t leave a toddler unsupervised in a wineglass store, don’t expose yourself to tempting situations when you’re vulnerable (e.g., tired, stressed, or hungry).
- Plan Ahead: Think through the steps needed to achieve your goals and develop a plan to stay on track. Anticipate potential obstacles and consider the consequences of your actions. This helps you focus on long-term goals rather than immediate gratification.
- Replace Unwanted Behaviors: Identify problematic habits and replace them with more constructive ones. For example, if you tend to interrupt others, practice deep breathing or counting to 10 before speaking.
- Consider the Consequences: Reflect on the effects of your choices. Imagine the positive outcomes (e.g., improved relationships, increased productivity) and negative consequences (e.g., damaged relationships, missed deadlines) of your actions. This helps you make more intentional decisions.
- Practice Mindfulness: Regularly reflect on your thoughts, feelings, and actions. Recognize your triggers and patterns, and make adjustments as needed. Mindfulness helps you develop greater awareness and control over your behaviors.
By incorporating these strategies into your daily life, you’ll be better equipped to regulate your choices and responses, ultimately improving your self-control and achieving your goals.
The key to managing yourself. The Five Methods for Self Discipline: I always felt that I was, of course, gifted with a lean body. Day to day life changed everything, though. Due to the abnormal hormonal changes that have helped me realize my intense desire for junk foods.
I have developed exceptional addictions to pizzas and coke. The result was that I began to get plump. Only then did I know that my innate talent of keeping fit had been taken by day to day life. I have turned my mind towards fitness with too much reluctance.
Nevertheless, because of my loss of influence over the food I consumed, my entire workout schedule became dismal. It dawned on me that if I need to see progress, like the one who hasn’t eyed it for weeks, I need to control myself from foraying food every time.
It was when I recognized the value of self-control.
“If you learn self-control, you can master anything.” — Anonymous
What does Self-Control mean?
Self-control is the desire, against your will, to control your thoughts, feelings, and acts. It is the influence you exert over yourself by holding in your mind about long-term gains from giving in to the momentary temptations and satisfactions.
For me personally, the desire to regulate my urge to eat the huge cheese dripping pizza at a party is self-control, taking into account the weight I intend to minimize by the end of the month!
How Is Self-Control Improved?
I discovered a few strategies during my weight loss process about how to control myself from going back to old eating habits. If you want to enhance your self-control, these methods can be applied in any aspect of life.
It is important to consider that you want to exert self-control over something and what your purposes are before studying the techniques.
In my situation, for example, I want my weight to be reduced. I need to control myself from eating junk foods, thus. For any month, my target was to reduce 2 kg.
Therefore, seek to consider your intentions and expectations before you exercise self-control.
“One’s greatest challenge is to control oneself.” — Kazi Shams
Also, prepare a roadmap for the targets to be accomplished. This will encourage you to know where you can be in charge of yourself.
In my situation, I require 2 kg to be reduced. I need to avoid eating junk to do that. I thus prepared myself to avoid foods that were unhealthy.
It is not necessary, however, to regulate any of the external variables. I’ve got to attend parties often, I need to drive,… etc. I need to be in charge and to learn to feed well in such weak times. That is why I was rescued by my methods of self-control.
Five Strategies for Self-Control:
Remind them about your inspiration:
To inspire me in my weight loss quest, on Instagram and other social media accounts, I follow many inspirational people who have done so before and now shine.
I take a minute to scroll through the profile of those inspirational people who have helped me embark on my own quest in the first place if an evil idea hits me and asks me to let go of my body targets.
“Self-control is strength.” — Anonymous
Take a moment to go back to your inspiration when you find you lack motivation and want to lose your self-control. If you have no inspiration, join the people before you who have been on the same path.
On social media accounts, identify them and track them. Go to the forums online and listen to their words. Print out their photograph, at least, and stick it in your room.
And you should take a look at them anytime you find like you’re losing control of yourself. If they can do it, so you can more likely do it as well.
Further Reading: 40 inspirational quotes about exercise for strength
Objectives for Review:
This is the next approach that I used to remind myself why I began my quest, and why I should limit myself to eating.
It is necessary to have detailed targets to use this technique.
Your objectives are going to teach you what you would like to be. Obviously, losing sight of your final results would make you give in to temptations.
“The main factor behind success is self-control.” — Rig Veda
Be sure you can see your targets all the time. I have a dedicated book of goals that I run through every day. I’m writing my monthly target post here as well. All these are my continual reminders of where, after a certain time, I want to see myself.
Where necessary, revisit your targets regularly to escape fleeting satisfaction. Have an eye on your long-term priorities.
Further Reading: 40 Inspirational Quotes About Journaling
Yourself Description:
This is another tool that you can use while you are on the brink of committing a felony… i.e. You are about to give up your self-restraint for the moment.
Take a minute to think about what’s going to happen if you let go of your power at this moment. I would visualize, in my situation, an obese, overweight person looking back at me.
Even, if you are controlling yourself now, imagine yourself. In that scenario, like the individual who influenced me, I would look into a safe fit individual.
This is an outstanding means of holding you in check. It has motivated me several times to keep on track.
“If you lose self-control everything will fall.” — John Wooden
Disciplines/Rekompenses:
This is another fascinating technique, if nothing else works, that I use.
It’s kind of like bribing me to help me think straight.
Let’s go back to the same example of pizza. If I can no longer rely on my self-control, I’m going to tell myself that if I let go of the pizza now, I can get the [Tempting Rewards] smartphone pouch that I’ve been looking at for a long time.
If I eat the pizza right now, so I need to do 50 more push-ups [hard penalties] for the exercise tomorrow. Obviously, I would give up the wicked pizza if I tempt myself with a gratifying present.
Bargaining with:
I will use this strategy until I know for sure that I am no longer able to control myself. I use this strategy to avoid injury or to cause less damage.
For example, if my urge to gobble pizza can not get rid of the incentives and if my will power is about to crack at any moment, then I compromise with myself to reduce the impact.
Instead of diving into the entire pizza, I pledge that to get the flavor, I can only eat just one slice.
This strategy will mainly work for me. With this process, I actually get to eat the pizza, and also, by not letting the whole XL size pizza inside me, I will reduce the effect.
To keep your attention glued on the outcome and not get derailed by momentary fatigue, self-control is important. Willpower does not allow you to remain in charge of your own. To make you stop indulging in little offenses, you need effective strategies, and one day these little sacrifices will sum up your remarkable performance.