What is Willpower?
In layman’s terms, Willpower is the ability to control one’s emotions, actions, or urges. It is you controlling your will and all the other distractions while you keep working or moving towards what's most important to you.
Willpower is very much like a muscle, and like a muscle, willpower can also be developed. If you keep doing one thing over a period of time, you eventually get better at it, that is the nature of the brain.
For example, if you take a Sankalp to practice yoga every day at 7 am for 21 days and you push yourself and actually show up for that yoga class no matter how difficult it is to wake up in the morning or if you are craving that cigarette, which is harmful to you, and you resist that temptation or urge, you will discover that your willpower has started increasing. Also, over a period of time, you’ll notice you have more power than the craving itself. The craving will not be so compelling.
If willpower is something you are trying to inculcate in your life, it might be difficult or it may overwhelm you at first but we can assure you that it is not impossible to achieve it. All you need is consistency and the ability to not give up.
The reason we are emphasizing on willpower is that it impacts every area of one’s life. It helps in accomplishing your goals like exercising, overcoming bad habits, saving money etc. Willpower is correlated with success as well. In order to be successful, you need to have immense willpower, as it isn't easy to achieve anything that’s worth being called a great feat.
If you look around you, people with great willpower are also more likely to be healthier, happier, can manage stress well, and overcome adversity.
Now the question is, how do we strengthen willpower? We have collated a list of actionable steps that could be built into habits to strengthen willpower.
Actionable steps to strengthen your willpower
Meditate
Meditation plays a huge role in increasing the reserve of willpower we have available and helps in improving our attention, stress management, concentration, and self-awareness. The act of building self-awareness through meditation will definitely help you with your impulse tendency. When we are more mindful, we are engaging the part of the brain that we need for willpower, rather than just letting us take over our impulses.
Practice Yoga
The beauty of yoga is that yoga itself has an answer for this. Yoga helps in building self-compassion and building inner connection, which are the two key factors in strengthening your willpower.
Strengthen your willpower, and mind, by taking the first step, start your journey now, and begin to see the difference in you!
Studies have shown that regular practice of Yoga or any physical activity can improve willpower.
Eat well
Skipping meals or having a poor diet can definitely sabotage the mission of learning to strengthen your willpower. Avoiding junk/processed foods and eating more wholesome homemade food enables more energy available on tap for the brain which will help in improving every aspect of willpower.
Shvasa Tip: Drinking Milk with a teaspoon of ghee can really help in breaking down of food for better absorption of nutrients.
Sleep well
Adequate sleep at night for 7-8 hrs definitely improves self-control and provides optimal health for the brain to function properly. When the body is sleep-deprived, it creates chronic stress that impairs how the brain and body use the energy. Studies have shown that people who are sleep deprived are likely to have less focus, give in to impulses and take risky decisions.
If you are someone who struggles to sleep at night, you can definitely practice Yoga Nidra for a deep and good night’s sleep.
Practicing Yoga Nidra every day can also help you in improving and strengthening your memory.
Things to avoid
- Sleeping during the day.
- Consumption of Alcohol.
- Negative emotions Anger, jealousy etc.
- Overconsumption of a single tasting food.
Do’s and Don'ts while working on your willpower
Work on it as you would work on your body
Like how you cannot build muscles overnight, you cannot build willpower overnight as well. It requires time and patience.
Anticipate Roadblocks
When we are on a path of a new goal, there will be times when there will be roadblocks, but when we anticipate them in advance, we develop stronger willpower to deal with them the right way.
Reward yourself
Our brain is hardwired to pursue positive rewards when we are trying to increase our willpower. It is always good to reward ourselves when we achieve our goals, no matter how small or big it is.
Celebrating small victories will help you gain courage and trust in yourself and give you the confidence to do bigger and better things.
Be easy on yourself
There might be times when you fail in achieving your goals, don't beat yourself up over it or lose hope. Let it go, take a deep breath in, and start again.
Develop small, but powerful habits
We often don't pay enough attention to small daily habits, for example, waking up in the morning and making our bed can have a very powerful and positive impact on our willpower.
Small habits like these build self-control and self-discipline, and that spreads in other areas of your life.
Set realistic goals
Set goals that are big enough to motivate you, but at the same time, it is doable.
When you set unrealistic goals for yourself, in the beginning, the process might feel motivating, but as soon as you realise that you are not going to make it, your self-esteem decreases and so does your willpower.
Work on your stress levels
When our body is stressed, our mind and body go into a state of fight or flight mode. Which leads to us acting emotionally and giving in to temptations. Whereas, a calm mind is more rational.
Slow and steady
In this fast-moving world, we need to normalise being slow and steady. If you rush into getting something or achieving your desired goals too quickly, it is highly likely that it won’t last for long.
You have to take it slow and enjoy the process rather than being impatient and rushing into it.
Don't Overdo it
Last but not the least, training our willpower works really well, but in moderation. If you overdo it and become a self-control maniac, at some point or the other you will burn out.
Willpower is an untapped power for most humans. And once you start working on your willpower, you will be surprised to see how you are able to manifest anything you want or wish for in your life.
