Attending to Prevention
- 2 days ago
- 2 min read
If an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure, how come it takes a pound of effort to motivate ourselves to do an ounce of prevention?
Humans are wired for immediate gratification and there is a list a mile long of things we do to gratify ourselves in the moment that don’t benefit us in the long-run. People have a hard time motivating themselves to do something that we’d rather not do (such as eat less processed food, take a daily walk, or get that preventative screening) to possibly avoid something that might happen years in the future. In other words, the trade-off is tangible immediate gratification versus hardly tangible distant possible pain. Not only does human nature drive us toward the former, but we are a society of rugged individualists in a time of conspicuous consumption. This spells doom for many a New Year’s resolution, post-prandial pronouncement, and armchair declaration. It can also lead us into a cycle of sloth, guilt, excess, despair.
Well, I say let’s interrupt the cycle and make prevention more palatable.
Here are some ideas:
Reward yourself (in moderation, of course). Set a goal and when you achieve it give yourself a prize.
Turning it into a team effort is more fun and brings in a degree of accountability to others. If you can't form a team, then an accountability buddy is a great alternative.
Set a daily or weekly routine. It takes less effort to maintain a behavior when we don’t have to plan for it every time.
Oftentimes, our “bad” behaviors emerge when we feel stressed, isolated, or unworthy. Give yourself a break from these bugaboos by taking time for yourself and making a point to appreciate the good things.
