Kelly McGonigal is a health psychologist who conducted research among some students from Stanford University on the science of willpower and wrote a popular book. The name of the book is “The Willpower Instinct”. He introduced us to, ” What is Willpower?”
Firstly, let’s see what willpower actually means. The author of the book thinks that there are two different competitions in our minds called Willpower.
One is the one who just wants to be in a comfortable state and the other is the one who wants to make changes. For example: After waking up early in the morning for a few days, at one point it seems, who am I?
Isn’t this my characteristic? An inner voice speaks and the competition between these two things is willpower.
According to the author, following five specific rules can boost your willpower. Let’s learn about the rules given by the author.
Rule number 1. Train Your Willpower Physiology
There are 4 physical ways by which willpower can be increased. For example:
First: Enough Sleep
It is known from a study that the activity of some parts of our body decreases due to lack of sleep. Because of this, every willpower challenge appears to us.
For this reason, it is very necessary for us to sleep at least 6 hours every night.
Second: Meditation
Students were divided into two groups to conduct a study. One group was made to meditate regularly every day. And the second group was forbidden from meditating.
The prefrontal cortex of the students who meditated regularly was found to be denser and more connected than before. The prefrontal cells are the parts that look after decision-making, core values, and long-term goal achievement.
Also, by meditating for only 10 minutes a day, the sleep patterns of those students changed positively.
Third: Exercise
Exercise releases some hormones that help keep the various cells of the brain better, bigger, and more connected.
Also, regular exercise increases blood circulation in the body, strengthening the nervous system of the brain.
Fourth: Healthy Diet
If you want to make the body an energy machine, then a healthy diet is essential. In particular, a diet based on vegetables is very good for the body and brain. It helps to transport energy properly in the body.
Rule Number 2: Forgive Yourself
I want you to think of a task on which you failed. This could be eating something addictive out of emotion or watching other videos on your mobile instead of watching tutorial videos.
Now tell me, if you think about your failure, will you want to do the previous task correctly? Or will it further deplete your willpower?
I think most people will say that sorrow or regret will inspire a person more. But according to research, this is a completely wrong idea.
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Some people are invited to eat pizza for free. After eating pizza, they are divided into two groups. One group is kept in a room without being told anything.
The second group receives a different message: ‘It looks like you regret breaking your diet’. It doesn’t matter, we all make mistakes like this sometimes.
So, we should forgive ourselves. “Then, people from two groups were offered free chocolates. In this experiment, 50% of the people in the second group ate fewer chocolates than the people in the first group.
Similarly, the more we think about past failures or try to survive, the more we are attracted to that task. For example, if a person loses in gambling, they try again to gamble and recover the loss of money.
But they fail again and again. It’s the same as frustration. The best way to get out of this is to forgive yourself. You should follow 3 steps:
The 1st step is, notice that you are feeling guilty, the 2nd step is identifying that this is common to human nature, and the 3rd step is, encourage yourself to get out of criticism. It is best if you treat yourself like a friend.
Rule Number 3: Meet your future self
This means writing a letter from your future self to your present self about what you will do 20 or 30 years from now.
The author believes that writing letters to oneself about the future increases willpower very quickly. Writing letters like this frequently can be a great source of willpower for us.
Number 4: Which Trick Will Be More Helpful
What do you personally think, thinking about failure or thinking about success? Which one works to increase your willpower? What are you thinking? Thinking about success?
Sorry, you are thinking wrong. According to research, imagining success is good for willpower. But thinking about failure is even better for willpower.
Two groups were formed with some people for exercise. One group was told about the benefits of exercise. And the other group was told, “What are your excuses for not exercising?
“What harm can you suffer if you don’t exercise?” etc. After 1 week, it was seen that those who were told about the negative effects were exercising twice as long.
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Because, if we only think about success, we cannot maintain consistency. Whenever you face such a situation, try adjusting your goals and focusing on smaller milestones.
The author of the book thinks that we should follow our success, but we need to follow our failures more. Because it can give us more willpower.
Number 5: Search The Urge
This is a method of controlling our strong desires or cravings. A study was conducted with some smokers. They were asked not to smoke for 2 days and were observed.
After 2 days, they were given a packet of their favorite brand of cigarettes. First, when the order comes, pay close attention to the brand of the packet.
After 2 minutes, the order is given again, take out a cigarette and think about your feelings for 2 minutes.
Then, after 2 minutes, the order is given again, put the cigarette in your mouth and think for 2 minutes about why you need it. Then the order is given, take out the lighter and wait.
After about 30 minutes, permission is given. This method was followed for several days, and it was found that their desire to smoke had decreased by 40%.
In the same way, we suddenly want to quit a bad habit and fall into despair and repeat the same thing. The author believes that the best way to deal with such a situation is acceptance.
He thinks that you should only observe the demand for something with your mind. That is, whether the demand for something is only your temporary attraction.
And you have to believe that it is only your emotions which will pass with time.If you like this essay, you can share it with your friends and help them.
