6 Ways to Strengthen Your Willpower

not an easy task, but some simple and non-standard ways will help you improve your self-control.

1. Do not rush to the toilet

According to psychologists, forcing yourself to wait longer when you want to go to the toilet will strengthen your willpower and wean you from making spontaneous decisions! Interestingly, former British Prime Minister David Cameron claimed to have used this strategy before important meetings. The fact is that when the brain focuses on one task, it is easier for it to discipline itself to perform other tasks.

2. Sleep Before Making Important Decisions

Psychologists consider willpower to be a “limited resource” – in fact, you can use it throughout the day. Of course, we can’t always choose when our self-control is put to the test, but when you’re making an important decision (say, buying a car or ending a marriage), get some sleep before you do. Otherwise, in the morning you may be faced with regret about the choice you made.

3. Support yourself

Self-control uses up a lot of your brain’s reserve energy, which means your will weakens when you’re hungry. One study found that pre-lunchtime judges are more likely to make rash judgments for this very reason, and it may also explain why we lose our temper and get irritated more quickly in the pre-lunch time. But a simple sweet drink can give you strength and restore your reserves. However, this is not a good strategy if you lead a healthy lifestyle.

4. Laugh

While your willpower can wear down over the course of the day, there are ways to restore it. One option is laughter! Studies have shown that people who watched funny videos had better control over their impulses afterwards. When we are happy, it is easier for us to convince ourselves to endure for the sake of future gain.

5. Meditate

Self-control often requires suppressing some difficult emotions on the way to achieving what you want. Fortunately, practicing mindfulness will help you organize your feelings so you can continue to act in your own best interests. Meditate by focusing your attention on different parts of the body and noticing the unique sensations in each of them.

6. Forget about guilt

The mind automatically associates guilt with pleasure, which means that temptations seem even more tempting to us when we know we should abstain from them. On the other hand, a little guilt-free self-indulgence may be just what you need to help you stay determined going forward. So if you find yourself breaking the promise you made to yourself, don’t beat yourself up, just look at it as a moment that will renew you and give you the strength to continue the fight.

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