05. How mindset is key to health...

05.

​So a big part of our health is built on our habits and our mindset?

​Sounds simple enough.

​And it is.
​
But let me ask it like this: if you have been smoking for years and you know that smoking is bad for you, why don’t you just stop? Or why do our New Year's resolutions to eat well and exercise usually last us just until February?
As Health Psychology research shows us - knowing what is good for us and doing what is good for us are two different things.

Understanding our habits is often the first step:

• Our habits always serve some kind of a purpose. Even the 'bad' habits. We have adopted them for certain reasons - conscious and sometimes unconscious.
• Many of our habits also have certain underlying emotions or beliefs we associate them with. F.ex. having ice cream in the evening makes us feel relaxed and we believe it is not such a big deal or we worked hard so we deserve it.
• Often when working with changing a habit it is key that we can look at them without judgement. This is harder than we think - but when we judge our habits and ourselves we unlock a sense of guilt and shame - and in that state, change is much harder.
  
  

That brings us to the second step, mindset and mastering our emotions.

• Our emotions and emotional wellbeing are just as important as our physical wellbeing. The research now is clear on the link between these two but changing our mindset and emotional patterns is the hardest part of living a healthier life.

So you mean that emotional intelligence leads to a better life?
          Absolutely - our ability to understand and manage our emotions is key.