There comes a time when the habits that have served you well meet with situations that thwart and undermine the best intentions and overwhelm even the force of habit. I have in mind the interference with good eating habits and adequate exercise during vacations or other changes in one’s living situation. The present challenge of pandemic times also comes to mind.
This summer, my family and I sought escape from the smoky southern Oregon territory by spending time near Lake Michigan. It was a time of indulgence in local food courts, bakeries, restaurants, and summer fun on the beach.
Old regimes designed to ensure health and wellness gave way to laxity and indulgence to the point that there seemed no end of pure pleasure and escape from old patterns. It is always easy to give up restrictive habits for those who rely on good times and delicious treats.
Yet I knew when the day of reckoning inevitably came, I would be able to make a course correction, for I had learned the proper strategy for correction and reconstitution of the old habits. My hopes were high in this regard; knowing what paths to follow and what scripts to enact is superior to holding fond intentions merely.
Often termed self-empowerment, or self-efficacy, these sets of tactics, honed after years of practice, could be called into play because I had…