Am I not self-disciplined enough?

How to effortlessly establish healthy habits

Illustrations by Kaki Okumura

We’re 6 months into 2023! How does this realization make you feel?

It’s a seemingly harmless question, but it’s common to feel anxious.

We often start the year with goals and ambitions. We have an idea of how we want to change or what we want to accomplish. When we’re on track to meet these milestones, we feel good — but if the path is a bit murkier or harder to navigate than we imagined, we may feel discouraged.

The myth of self-discipline in personal health

Today, I encourage you to start the day with a reflection: What health habits have you been feeling proud of so far?

Feeling proud doesn’t necessarily mean reaching a goal — it doesn’t need to be losing X pounds, fitting into your old jeans, completing a marathon, or anything of that sort.

It can be:

• I’m more confident taking a personal day off work for rest
• I’m sleeping in a bed that I find comfortable
• I’m drinking a little less soda
• I’m walking to work more often
• I’m more conscious of enjoying food in moderation