How To Sustain Good Habits When You're Unwell

I'm writing this from a place of understanding.

Well, actually I'm writing it from my bed. But you get the idea.

I get ill a fair bit. Due to my medical history, my immune system is pretty shit. It's just the hand I've been dealt.

So with that, I know all too well what it's like to get set up with some awesome new habits, and then suddenly the energy is gone and I can barely get out of bed.

So yeah, I get it.

If this sounds familiar, then I have three things to say which will (hopefully) help you.

1. Allow it

To be quite frank, getting unwell is pretty standard. Everyone has physical and mental health, and unless you're Bruce Willis in Unbreakable you're probably going to go through periods where that health isn't quite where you'd like it to be.

So yeah, allow it.

Accept that you're not firing on all cylinders, and accept that some things are probably going to slip.

2. Keep some going

You're unlikely to be able to keep ALL your habits going while you're unwell, so don't even try it. If one of your habits is a heavy workout, or a run, and you're hit with a virus or something which really saps all your energy, it's pretty fucking stupid to still attempt that workout.

However, just because you're going to temporarily drop some habits doesn't mean you should automatically drop all of them.

In fact, some of your habits will help you recover faster and get back to where you need to be.

Things like drinking a glass of water when you wake up, perhaps. Or filling half your plate with veggies at each meal. Or snacking on fruit rather than junk. Or ditching your screens an hour before sleep.

All of those are habits which you could potentially continue despite being unwell.

Audit your own habits and see which ones you could cope with.

Another reason for doing this, is that it makes the next step much easier...

3. Phase back in

Once you're starting to feel a bit better, don't just jump straight back in to where you left off. This is the same logic as changing everything at once in the first place, and it's not going to pan out well in the long run. You could even end up relapsing and becoming more unwell!

Instead, phase your habits back in depending on what you feel you can face.

If you were doing hardcore workouts before becoming ill, start just getting a little more active. A short walk, for example. Then see how you get on, and increase from there.

Essentially, treat it like you are rebuilding the foundations.

We all get unwell sometimes. That's just part of life.

Follow these three simple tips and you'll find these stormy times much easier to cope with, and recover from.

What's your best tip for sustaining good habits when you're unwell? Hop over to my Instagram or Facebook and drop a comment, or head to my FREE Facebook group and join the conversation.