That little devil on your shoulder telling you to grab that bag of potato chips is your worst enemy. Well, when it comes to dieting it is. Our willpower is constantly tested throughout the day. Our urge not to eat maple syrup topped pancake, eating a juicy and cheesy burger for lunch and preventing saying anything harmful to that co-worker that keeps saying she’s on a diet and would do anything for a piece of cake. We are all suffering here; do it quietly.
If there is a bad, there is definitely a good. When that creepy little red devil whispers
Go for one more plate!Your angel will be right by your side saying You’re full and satisfied, drop the utensils. This little devil is temptation and the angel is your willpower. More often the not, temptation wins.
We all go through internal struggles daily. From picking what we will have for lunch or how you are to handle a situation. Willpower plays a huge role in our decision making
every day. Willpower is classified as an internal struggle between instant gratification impulses and positive long term goals. Depending on how tired, stressed and mindset, the power of your will is different. If we always say yes to our impulses, the world will probably burn. To lead a successful anything,we need a powerful willpower.
What can you do to increase your will power? We’ve asked experts for their tips to conquering our will.
Science of Willpower
According to neuroscience, willpower is controlled by three areas of the brain. One tells you to stop anything that will potentially harm you. One that tells you to do what it takes to finish a task. And the last one that fuels your desires. When one of these areas is under fueled, the other areas takeover. Giving you less chances of fighting temptation. Imagine you’re driving a car and you really need to work. The first area of your will tells you to drive and keep calm. The second area is the one fighting you over the temptation of driving really fast or calling your co-workers while driving. The last one is the one
telling you to put your pedal to the metal and go GTA on the road or telling you to do what it takes to get there. These three have to be balanced to ensure that our willpower is at optimum level. How do make sure that these areas are fueled? Follow these tips belo
w.
- Sleep – Our willpower usually goes out the door when we are drunk or had a
sleepless night. You can clearly avoid alcohol, unless you really plan to lose all inhib
ition for the night. However, sleep is different. We sleep every day and most don’t get enough of it. We are the generation who believes that 24 hours a day is not enough and this has taken a toll on us. Not only is it unhealthy not to get 8 hours of sleep a night, this can also affectyour will power. A part of your brain tends to shut down and the impulse center takes over. This is the part of your brain that keeps you working, even though your brain has checked out. With this the need for instant gratification increases. One second you’re at work typing and the next you’re munching on a pint of ice cream. - Exercise – What does any type of physical activity have to do with the brain? Everything! Exercising is good for our muscles and bones, but these types of physical activity can also increase willpower. With regular exercise, the part of the brain that affects willpower becomes more active. Another great thing about exercise is that can also increase happy chemical production in the brain. Reducing the need to eat unhealthy food.
- Morning Routine – So you want to exercise, but your mind is telling you its too tired? Well, it seems like doing a specific task first thing in the morning can guarantee
success. This is the time where are willpower is at its peak due to the night’s rest. Our self-control is often used up throughout the day, causing us to make the most of our temptation mistakes at night. During the evening or low willpower avoid temptation.
One of the most important thing about willpower is that it can become a habit. We go through every day without thinking twice if we need to drink water or turn off the
stove after cooking. This becomes a permanent memory that we incorporate into our routine. If you keep your diet or exercise into a habit, you won’t use as much willpower.
