3510: Simple Living: Building Intentional Habits by Danae Smith of This Wondrous Life on Healthy Habits

[00:00:00] This episode is brought to you by Facebook. So, you were scrolling on Marketplace, and there it was, the bike you'd been searching for. You sent a message, and it turned out the seller was super chatty, kinda funny, and an avid cyclist. The next thing you know, you're in a cycling crew. Well, a community cycling group. The thing about Facebook, you might find more than what you're looking for. From a browse to a bike ride, this summer, find more on Facebook.

[00:00:30] Hey friends, Olivia from OLLI Between new routines and the ultimate group project known as parenting, you need science-backed solutions that work with your life. That's where Oli comes in. Start your mornings off right with Maltese made to support nutrition and immune health. Choose from our lineup of gut-supporting probiotics, and we've got occasional sleep support to help the whole fan chase their big dreams. Head back to class with the number one gummy supplement brand. Stock up on OLLIcom today. These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

[00:01:00] This is Optimal Health Daily. Simple Living. Building Intentional Habits. By Danae Smith of ThisWondrousLife.com. And I'm Dr. Neal Malik Hello and welcome back. This is our usual Sunday bonus episode, where I share an episode from one of the other podcasts in our network. Today's post comes from Optimal Living Daily, where articles covering mindfulness, personal development, and minimalism are read to you every day.

[00:01:26] You can find and subscribe to or follow that podcast. Just search for Optimal Living Daily wherever you're listening to this. And with that, here's my brother Justin with the post and commentary as we optimize your life. Simple Living. Building Intentional Habits. By Danae Smith of ThisWondrousLife.com. Our day-to-day lives are built on the habits we subconsciously or consciously create.

[00:01:56] Our habits influence the routines our lives flow in, and that can either make us or break us. I'm currently processing through an unexpected turn of events. It is easy when faced with something unplanned to just throw caution to the wind and stop caring, to lean into unhealthy habits. I realize in this pursuit of simple living, I can't afford to do that. Simple living is a lifestyle change, and with any lifestyle change, my habits matter.

[00:02:23] And that's where I find myself right now, asking all the questions. What are my habits? Do they create space for a slow and simple life, or a more distracted life? What habits can I create that lend to a more slow and simple life? What small changes can I make daily that encourage a more simple and slow life? For me, whenever I'm motivated or inspired by something, I get into this zone of now or never.

[00:02:48] I bite off more than I can chew and do all the drastic things to become what I've been motivated or inspired to become. Take this pursuit of living more simply and slowly. I've been on this journey for roughly three years, but I would say in this third year, I feel a deeper conviction to pursue this. And with this conviction comes great zeal. However, I wrestle with doing all the big drastic things in pursuit of this simple lifestyle, yet skip over the smallest things. And whenever this happens, it all falls flat. Why?

[00:03:17] Because there's no foundation. Which brings me here. Here with these questions. Here with this perspective. I can do all the big and drastic things, but if the habits of my life don't reflect this lifestyle change I'm in pursuit of, there's no foundation on which I can build. Oof. Take a moment to let that sink in. Our habits build our foundation. Whatever we are pursuing, be that a dream or lifestyle change, our habits matter. So how do we do this?

[00:03:46] How do we build intentional habits? First, start small and build slowly. Changing habits and leaning into new routines and rhythms does not happen overnight. This is the space and time to extend extra grace to yourself and take small bites versus huge mouthfuls. Second, reflect and check. This is where I am right now. For me, it's been important to pause, reflect, and check myself.

[00:04:12] Taking time to reflect and mentally go through my day assessing the things I do without thinking. This helps me gauge whether it's something that's sustaining what I'm pursuing or taking away from it. Easily a habit I have that does not lend to my pursuit of simple and slow living is the mindless Instagram scroll. I can easily spend 10 to 30 minutes just scrolling through my Instagram feed, watching IG stories, looking up celebrities, and stalking their feeds because we all do it, don't fake. Every time I do it, midway I stop and think,

[00:04:42] well, there goes 20 minutes, I'll never get back. It's something I do without thinking. Waiting in line? Scroll through Instagram. Waiting for my gas tank to fill up? Scroll through Instagram. On the phone with a friend in the convo stalls? Scroll through Instagram. Instagram. It's impulsive and honestly not something I'm crazy about continuing. That's just one example and I know the more I lean into this process, I'll be able to spot the habits I want to break that aren't sustaining my pursuit. Thirdly, after identifying unhealthy habits,

[00:05:11] I think the next step would be to begin the process of breaking those habits and introducing new ones. They say it takes 21 days to form a new habit and I have no clue how long it takes to break an unhealthy habit. Either way, I think the next step is to think of what habits we want to create that sustain whatever we are pursuing. To do that, we got to go back to our why, remembering what we are building and trying to sustain. For me, I'm pursuing a more simple and slow life

[00:05:39] because I've found a life built on following the hype, keeping up with trends, and rushing through moments unfulfilling. We weren't meant to be rushed, to live at neck-breaking speed, overwhelmed, overtired, and unfulfilled. More than anything, I want to live a life that shows up in the valley, finds joy in the mundane, is intentional with creating, has community, and sustains in all areas, emotionally, spiritually, physically, and mentally. And I believe living simply and slowly makes room for that,

[00:06:09] helps one to see what matters and protects it. Lastly, we go back to the beginning. Start small and build slowly. Think of little changes you can make each day and repeat those things. It is not enough to just identify what needs to go and working on releasing it. You got to put something in its place, something better, healthier. I'm still learning. I don't have this figured out. Some days, even weeks, I get caught up in the rushing and doing, forgetting the power of stillness and being.

[00:06:39] It happens. And when it does, I remind myself that this isn't a race, but a marathon. I'm not following a trend. I'm changing a lifestyle. And that takes time. The results are not instantaneous, but show themselves over time. So here's to extending extra grace, celebrating the successful moments, and diving deeper into the journey. You just listened to the post titled, Simple Living, Building Intentional Habits,

[00:07:08] by Danae Smith of thiswondrouslife.com. This episode is brought to you by Facebook. So you were scrolling on Marketplace, and there it was, the bike you'd been searching for. You sent a message, and it turned out the seller was super chatty, kind of funny, and an avid cyclist. The next thing you know, you're in a cycling crew. Well, a community cycling group. The thing about Facebook, you might find more than what you're looking for. From a browse to a bike ride,

[00:07:38] this summer, find more on Facebook. Hey friends, Olivia from OLLI. Between new routines, and the ultimate group project known as parenting, you need science-backed solutions that work with your life. That's where OLLI comes in. Start your mornings off right with Maltese made to support nutrition and immune health. Choose from our lineup of gut-supporting probiotics, and we've got occasional sleep support to help the whole fan chase their big dreams. Head back to class with the number one gummy supplement brand. Stock up on OLLI.com today. These statements have not been evaluated

[00:08:07] by the Food and Drug Administration. This product is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease. Thank you to Danae. I don't know about you, but this one was super relevant for me. I have the same problem, you could call it, of using built-up motivation and inspiration to kind of go nuts and all in on something big, but then find that I lose steam and then stop relatively quickly. That wasn't the case with this podcast, but that's also been something with a lot of social support and accountability since other people are involved. But with personal things,

[00:08:37] I'm definitely the type to go above and beyond, but then stop, unless I build them slowly into habits, exactly as she said. That takes some mindfulness and awareness, asking yourself some questions, determining your why, some accountability, and possibly goal setting, but most importantly, baby steps. One day at a time, one small step, and it'll definitely add up. So take that step today, have a great rest of your day, and I'll be back tomorrow where your optimal life awaits.