Happiness 101: willpower in a nutshell - sleep, stress and nutrition
What does it take to keep pushing through?
Photo by Quin Stevenson on Unsplash
Developing a healthy lifestyle is key to living a long life. However, it takes a lot of practice to embed new sustainable habits into your routine. The self-control required to make these changes is just like a muscle. It needs training in order to become stronger. In a piece on the scientific underpinnings of willpower, Stanford health psychologist Kelly McGonial, explains how stress, lack of sleep and diet are some of the main factors that compromise willpower.
Learning how to develop better stress coping mechanisms is essential for maximising your willpower. According to a 2018 Mental Health Foundation study that looked at stress levels in the UK “74 per cent of people have felt so stressed that they have been overwhelmed or unable to cope”, and “46 per cent reported that they ate too much or ate unhealthily due to stress, 29 per cent reported that they started drinking or increased their drinking and 16 per cent reported that they started smoking or increased their smoking.”
Overwhelming stress is a widespread phenomenon and learning how to cope with it in a healthy way is essential to our wellbeing. Kelly McGonial says that “any time we’re under chronic stress, it’s harder to find our willpower.” Stress only allows you to focus on the immediate short-term outcome, while self-control enables you to keep the long-term goal in mind and gives you the time you need for wise decision-making. Habits that improve the way we react to stress in our lives include physical exercise, journaling, and meditation. These help by sharpening our focus and attention, increasing our self-awareness and ability to control impulses.
Sleep deprivation is an aspect of our day-to-day life that shouldn’t be overlooked as they play crucial roles in how much willpower we have. Lack of sleep intervenes with our brain’s and body’s way of using energy. According to McGonial, the prefrontal cortex suffers the most and fails to keep in check the brain regions that control cravings and stress, making it easier for us to lose willpower, overreact and give into temptations. Nutrition also impacts how much energy we have, so something as banal as incorporating more plant-based products and low-processed foods into your diet can boost your self-control.
The journey you’re embarking on when you decide to make certain changes in your life is not a linear one. There will surely be ups and downs along the way, however, focus on patiently developing healthy routines and don’t give up when you encounter a setback. Just take it one day at a time and celebrate every victory, no matter how big or small.
This article is published as part of the Happiness 101 series, written by Pi Media columnist Sorana Bucseneanu