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You are here: Home / Health and Healing / Healthy Lifestyle / How Long Does It Take To Form A New Habit

How Long Does It Take To Form A New Habit

Last updated on March 21, 2018 By Jing J. Leave a Comment

This morning while I was meditating, I realized how easy and natural it was for me to meditate every morning. No discipline necessary. I couldn’t help but wonder: Do discipline and willpower become irrelevant at some point and habit simply takes over? Are we indeed creatures of habits – either good ones or bad ones? If so, how long does it take to let discipline retire and let habit take over?

I reflected on when I first started to meditate. After a grueling 10 days of intense meditation for 11 hours a day, our teacher gave us his heartfelt “graduation speech.” He emphasized over and over again the importance of meditating two hours a day for one full year. He said, “The first six months are crucial. They determine whether you’ll do it for the rest of your life, or not.” I was skeptical about my own discipline to impose such an outrageous goal on my already busy life. But the benefit from meditating was so great that I didn’t want to lose it.

So I began to meditate every day for 2 hours – at the expense of many fun social activities. This habit turned out a lot easier to form than my teacher had predicted. It took me about three months. After which I no longer needed my willpower or discipline. Meditating became a habit – as natural and effortless as taking a shower and brushing my teeth. If I happened to miss a few days due to life circumstances, I would pick it right up. It’s been a part of me ever since.

Experts seem to confirm my experience. According to research by the UK Health Behavior Research Center:

It takes an average of 66 days to form a new habit.

From my personal experience, it takes one month to form it, one month to reinforce it, and one month to make it your own – as natural as your own skin. So discipline may just a muscle you need to fire up consistently for a short period, and afterwards, habits take over. You are on autopilot, enjoying a smooth sail…

The New Year is just around the corner. Is there any new habit you want to form? If you really want it, make a commitment to do it consistently for three months. Then it will be yours, probably for life.

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Hi, this is Jing. I created Cycle Harmony to share what I've learned to live in harmony with my body - and my life. Join us and share yours @facebook.com/cycleharmony!

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Disclaimer: The information on this website is not intended to replace a one-on-one relationship with a qualified health care professional and is not intended as medical advice. It is intended as a sharing of knowledge and information from the research and experience of Jing Jin and her community. We encourage you to make your own health care decisions based on your research and in partnership with a qualified health care professional.

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