It’s generally believed by a psychologist that 21 days are needed to start seeing a habit change. Due to the Coronavirus / Covid-19 outbreak, most countries have announced a forced lockdown to flatten the curve of the spread. Billions are currently locked inside and are finding it hard to stay sane.
Having nothing to do much at home and are limited to the resources at home, people are fighting an odd fight against boredom. Many are finding their way on the streets and are being punished by the police officials to maintain the disciple.
The quarantine period can be used to cultivate new habits and when the pandemic will end, you will become a new person, totally changed physically and mentally. Usually, before the Coronavirus outbreak, we never had the time to transform our personalities. Many tensions and day-to-day monotonous schedule never allowed us to follow the plans.
Now we are free!
Since there’s nothing much to do at home, and even the internet starts looking at a boredom activity, we can reset our personalities and can work on our lives. If people do it globally, there will be a global shift and the human greed that has almost destroyed the planet will see a new world, filled with love and compassion.
This very thing I always tell to my students during classes. When they ask me they don’t find time to study at home or they don’t take books in their hands once they step out of the academy, I often tell them to train their subconscious mind by having 21 days challenge.
Easier said than done.
You might fall again and again, but there’s a light at the end of the tunnel.
There’s a very beautiful Japanese proverb, “Fall seven times, get up eight.” No matter how many times you fall, always dust off your clothes and start moving forward. This is the only to stay on the progressive path that can lead to your goals.
Alfred Pennyworth: “Why do we fall, sir? So that we can learn to pick ourselves up.” A beautiful dialogue by the butler of Bruce Wayne who thinks he’s no better to be the batman and Gotham doesn’t need him anymore.
Many students, when I talk to them, they sound like taking 21 days challenge a joke. Most give up amidst and blame IELTS to be a tough thing or some malicious thing shoved in their throats.
They forget if were tough, it was not worth doing and the results post their Visa can be wonderful and contagious for their upcoming generations.
Now the question is … WHY 21 days? Why not more or less?
Well, 21 days is the best scientific estimate. The days can be a wee bit less or bit more in some cases.
According to the studies, it takes 21 days for the brain to form the neurological paths that are responsible to shoot the information in our mind and our subconscious forms new habits, erasing the old pattern. This is why the subconscious mind is defined as God. Most of them, or I say, 9% times, we use our subconscious mind to do any activity.
Our brain has neuropathways pathways, which are produced by brain circuits through engrams(memory traces) when we shoot the same thing for at least 21 days. It means if we do the same thing as many students try to form their study habits at home but soon give up, resulting in slow improvements, their brain simply doesn’t make new habits and the results remain the same.
It takes 21 days to form a habit and 90 days day to create a lifestyle.
No, you have all the time you have with you. It doesn’t matter how times your old habits take you back, stand stronger. Pay attention to your works and do it with a conscious mind, This way you re-write your brain and become a new person.
I always give an analogy in my classes. I ask if they know scooter riding or car driving? Most answer ‘yes’. My next question reminds them of the time when they did it for the first time and how with the time, they got used to it.
During the initial learning days, they were extra conscious of casualties and never had any other thoughts, but full focus on the road. Now they are trained, they can even ride or drive listening to their calls (not recommended at all.) but I am using it to make my point clear.
List of Reasons why you need 21-day challenge to change your Habits
Procrastination –
Most people only procrastinate and are low on action. They keep on building dream worlds without executing any acting. This stresses them out, as the reality doesn’t meet with their dream world. I have met many students, I will say, hundreds of students who procrastinate to study in Canada but don’t want to work on their future. Their biggest dream is going to Canada to study Visa but without any studying in reality. How is this possible?
Stop procrastinating and start working on improving your habits and train your subconscious mind to act in your desired way. Your mind controls you most of the time; hence, working your mind training will always be fruitful for you, whether you want to score a 7+ band in IELTS or want to do anything else.
New Things –
Until you don’t experience new things, you can’t come to know if they are joyous or not. The 21 days trial can help you to find the things that you are most comfortable with. For example, you can start with early sleep and early rising. The 21 days will help you to reset the timings of your body and you will find you will not an alarm to wake up.
This technique we always recommend to our students; we often tell why waking up early is better for them and how the calmness of the morning can help them improve their listening module.
Since you are lockdown and have nowhere to go, you can also work on your fitness. Simple exercises like cardio, abs, and planks, skipping, and stretching can train you to keep with the workout routine post the quarantine period.
Eating Healthy –
We, humans, are naturally foodie and this is the reason why most of us have many health issues. Obesity is rising in the era of many food stalls, restaurants have mushroomed at every nook and corner of the cities. The luring discounts and tempting food entice us to try.
Since all the food eateries are closed and they are not going to open any time soon in the coming weeks, we have no option, but to eat homemade food. Still, a lot of people eateries white sugar and using too much oil in their daily diet without moving an inch from their places. This will further invite too many health problems and they might have to see a doctor in the coming weeks.
IELTS becomes easy when you focus on your language improvement and fitness helps you in doing it. When you do a workout or stretching, you automatically start developing the power of concentration.
Meditation and Yoga –
These are the best practices and our ancestors did it to live a prolonged life without inviting any bodily issues which we usually have in the contemporary era. In the fast paces world, we don’t do it. When we usually wake we always in rush to reach our places (offices, schools) on time. We forget “health is wealth” and later, down the road, we regret never making physical and mental health is our priority.
Meditation clutters our mind and cleanses it with good thoughts. Many of our students practice it to stop breeding negativity about their exam or their Study Visa aboard dreams. This is a wonderful technique and daily practicing it yields great results.
Yoga, on the other hand, is considered the best tool to keep the body fit without any GYM equipment. Some regard it to connect with their inner self and focus on their lives consciously.
Good Habits –
A person with good habits is considered an ideal and is loved by all. This is the right time to enhance your personality. We all have three faces: one in which the world knows, second is which our family members or close people know, and third is which only we know.
Deep inside your heart, you know what bad habits you have. It can be negative thinking, or thoughts filled with anger and hatred, or cunning thoughts to milk people for your gains. It can be any and you can work on them if you improve your habits.
Cultivate the benefits of having good habits by sowing the seeds today. Plant it with dedication and daily hard work. Let it grow and build a great future for you.
