I love the following exercise because it can be used for any "less favorable" habit that is getting in the way of your mental and physical health. I adapted this a bit to include some "self-study" follow up. Failing is part of the process. Use your failures as educational tools to empower you to succeed. Failure can be one of our biggest teachers and friends.
KARMA BUSTING EXERCISE
1. What is “the one” choice that you are making everyday that is no longer serving you? This is your most undesirable behavior that you are actually aware of.
2. What is going to happen if you continue to make this choice? This is your cost/benefit analysis. What is it costing you?
3. What is going to change in your life if you make a better choice?
4. Please write in one sentence (a mission statement) what your new behavior looks like. This is a positive goal. For example, if your sugar addiction is your negative choice, your sentence could be “I’m at my ideal body weight. My moods are even and positive. My skin is glowing. I have good relationships”. This is reframing the situation.
5. What must change in your life so that you make a better choice? This includes attitudes, perceptions and behavior.
6. What can you do today to change your path in a positive way?
Follow up:
Was I successful? Why? Why not?
Example of Karma Busting Exercise
1. Choosing to stay up late every night.
2. Continue to be tired, groggy, uncreative and weight gain.
3. I will be be vibrant, clear and alert with loads of energy.
4. I am jumping out of bed with enthusiasm every morning!
5. I must honor that my body needs to rest to heal. I must place my body’s needs above the needs of my family and my head.
6. Get my buddhi to bed. Talk to my spouse about the need for us to go to bed early. Get my kids to bed ontime so I can have a little relaxation and me time before bed. Stop obsessing over the cleanliness of my home. Just let it go a little bit.
Was I successful? I failed the first week, but I realized that stress and trying to relieve stress was a big factor in staying up. Watching a show or puttering around the house relaxes me. I’m now more focused on using my meditation, my breath and mindfulness to eliminate some of the stress. I now look at bedtime as a reward for a hard day of work. It’s a sacred time and I did much better the 2nd week.
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