ACTIVITY: The Replacement Game
Replace something you don’t want with something you do.
Every so often, I’ll suggest a short activity to help you feel less overwhelmed and more purposeful. You should be able to complete it in less than 15 minutes.
Change is hard, especially when it comes to breaking old habits and forming new ones. Even when you understand that sooner is better than later, the act of switching is difficult.
Rewiring your decision-making process requires new patterns and habits. But how does it start—do you change your mindset to change your behavior? Possibly. But you can also change your behavior to change your mindset. Over time, one will follow the other.
The concept of changing behavior to change mindset is rooted in cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), a widely used psychological treatment. CBT is based on the idea that our thoughts, feelings, and behaviors are interconnected, and that by changing one, we can influence the others.
One way to do this is to add new habits and remove others. It might be easier to think of it as a simple, one-for-one switch.
Call it the replacement game. Make a list of things you can replace or swap. For example, you could:
Replace binge-watching with reading a book or article
Replace your next car ride with walking
Replace friends who bring you down with friends who support you
Replace staying up late with establishing a consistent sleep schedule
Replace caffeine or alcohol with water
Replace processed snacks with fruits and vegetables
Replace multitasking with focused, single-tasking
As always, choose your own replacements. There’s no harm in watching your favorite show or consuming adult beverages in moderation. It’s not the single croissant or donut that does us in, it’s the four-at-a-time. (When it comes to donuts, I speak from experience.)
Making these replacements is easier said than done, of course. Old habits can be stubborn, and new ones take time to form. One way to increase your chances of success is to start small and gradually build up over time.
For example, if you want to replace binge-watching with meditation, start with just 5 minutes of meditation per day and slowly increase the duration as you build the habit.
The point is to take something that is net-negative in your life, and replace it with something that is net-positive. What do you notice that should be replaced?
I replaced stopping at the store for a six-pack with stopping at the store for ice cream. Now, I need to replace my ice cream habit.
Such a good activity for me right now. I have been prioritizing meditation in the mornings but it’s not feeling super impactful at that time, potentially because I’m traveling and so excited for the day and even the other things I’m working on in this new place.
I am keeping a travel journal where I write and draw but I’m behind because I’m taking the drawing quite seriously. Which I like! But I’ve been thinking how great it replied be to have a daily drawing practice and think it might worth to replace my morning meditation with some AM drawing time.
I can save the meditation for when I need to come down and relax at night.
I’m not replacing a net-negative. For me, there’s no harm in meditating but I’m more listening to what my mind and body feel called to at certain times.