Willpower

The Family in a Turkish Village is inspired by the work of Greg Hawthorn. It speaks to me of the energy it takes to join together physical, mental and spiritual parts of one’s being.
Acrylic on Canvas, 24” by 48”, Gold Frame, $ 690.00.

Bulking the Brain

Body, mind, and spirit are part of a health mantra chanted from coast that says, eat right, stay engaged, lower cholesterol, exercise, be mindful, and nourish your spirit. Be generous to body and find energy to meet daily challenges. Be generous to mind to improve mental and emotional heath, lower stress, and develop calmness. And, be generous to spirit to achieve a well lived life. . . one that has meaning.

This advice makes sense to most people, so why don’t they follow it? It is not difficult to dedicate 20 minutes a day to meditate as does my sister-in law, a most beautiful, composed woman who deals with trauma on a daily basis. Mindfulness enables her to answer a crisis hot line, one of the most stressful volunteer jobs.

Most of my friends exercise regularly, eat well and watch their sugar intake. After all, we live in the land of Nike, were raised with “Just do it,” and can afford to go to health clubs. So it surprised me when I read that Oregonians live in one of the most obese states in the nation. We are at the high end of the national
average where 40.2 percent of adults (40-59), 37 percent of those over 60, and 32.2 percent of younger adults are obese. I learned that among white men, those with higher incomes are more likely to be obese while the reverse is true among women. Though education does not seem to affect obesity in men it does in women where the better educated are less likely to be heavy than their less educated sisters.

Telling people to “Just do it” obviously does not work. Look at the map assembled by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention showing the prevalence of self-reported obesity among adults throughout our country.

After seeing this map I realized that changing health habits requires willpower and I was not sure where one finds it.

There are many studies that show the benefits that come from resisting temptation and having self-control. The first experiment in the U.S. was conducted in 1960 by Walter Mischel who recognized his smoking addiction and wondered what it would take to get over it. He offered four year olds the choice of a marshmallow that they could have immediately, or two if they could wait for 15 minutes. The treats were always visible and the child was told that she or he could ring a bell to call the experimenter back to end the torturous wait. Mischel tracked their performance into adulthood and found that those who could resist temptation had greater academic success, better health, and lower rates of marital separation. Even knowing this outcome, Mischel could not stop smoking. It wasn’t until he saw a man with lung cancer that he realized he was fooling himself. From then on, each time he reached for a cigarette he would create a picture in his mind of the sick man which helped change his craving.

Psychologist Denise Cummins says that willpower is like a muscle that gets stronger when exercised. “Use it or lose it” is her advice. People rarely want to change, yet to have a happy, successful life, willpower and self-control are essential. It is neither fun nor comfortable to change patterns for it necessitates breaking bad habits. It may mean establishing new relationships with friends and family. Beer buddies or coffee klatch friends may be difficult to be around if they don’t share your desire to lose weight and not to drink excessively.

Those who see that love ones to need to change, are almost always ineffective in getting them to do so. To make a lifestyle change, the person has to decide to please him or herself rather than someone else.

Developing willpower is an internal, conscious decision that has to be approached with caution. . . and that means not to overdoing it. When practicing a new life pattern, don’t berate yourself if there are times when you don’t follow through. Willpower grows over time and needs occasional recovery periods in-between.

The task, however, is a creative one that takes imagination. There are tricks that can be employed to help. Mindfulness can be useful to help divert craving and constantly thinking about the addiction. Imaging games such as the one used by Mischel to stop smoking are helpful. Imagining what you will eat after watching a movie or cleaning a closet also works. Studies have shown that those who delay gratification are in more control when they finally do eat or drink.

It does take practice to develop visualization and mindfulness skills. Meditation helps calm the brain but turning away from the desired object is faster and also works. It makes sense for an alcoholic to avoid going into a bar or an obese person from visiting an all-you-can-eat restaurant. On a recent cruise to the Caribbean, I watched grossly overweight people returning from a buffet with two full plates of food, baskets of bread and piled high desert plates and wondered if they really were prepared to gain 5 or more pounds on their vacation. If not, they might have been better off avoiding temptation by being served from a menu with more limited choices and serving portions.

Stress depletes willpower, while exercise, meditation, and knowledge are power tools to use to gain it. Whenever I interviewed new employees I asked them what they did when they were stressed at work. Everyone had an answer to my query. They knew what helped them get through difficult times and easily shared their stories. What I discovered, was that they often forgot to call on their inner resources when needed. Whether it is visualization, listening to music, or as I do, taking a ride in my car, it is important to take the time to go to your secret place rather than feed your addiction.

Acquiring willpower can actually be fun, though it is easy to wonder how can weight loss or exercise be enjoyable when the thought of it is painful. The practice becomes easier if pre-planning is done. For instance, attending cooking classes where healthy ingredients are used provides an enjoyable, social activity. Establishing a routine with friends to walk, jog, or exercise is a way to make time whizz by. Setting a schedule for meditation, not only builds brain-power, but lowers blood pressure, and improves focus, all outcomes that feel good.. My own experience as a meditator is simply that it makes me feel relaxed and leaves me with renewed energy.

Problems are a never ending part of human existence that brings excitement into life. If there are many, I am busy working to solve them but notice that when there are few, I get bored and will go out of my way to find a new challenge. How problems are approached and overcome is what makes each life special. Growth occurs to those willing to step on a path that engages them in healthy activities. It is a road that leads to weight reduction, improved stamina, and relaxation. The walk becomes increasingly enjoyable as posture improves, pounds are shed, self-esteem improves, and new clothes are worn with pride. Smiles and sensitivity to others spread as problems are put in their place and dealt with as entertaining challenges.

Sounds pretty good doesn’t it? After gaining weight this winter I think I’ll get me some willpower and self-control.

References:
Overweight and Obesity, Center for Disease Control and Prevention,2015, https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/prevalence-maps.html

Cummins,Denise, How to Boost Your Willpower, 2013, Psychology Today, https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/good-thinking/201306/how-boost-your-willpower

Konnikova, Maria, The Struggles of a Psychologist Sudying Self-Control, 2014, The New Yorker, http://www.newyorker.com/science/maria-konnikova/struggles-psychologist-studying-self-control

Haederle, Michael, How Mindfulness Can Build Your Brain, Life Reimagined, https://lifereimagined.aarp.org/stories/29441-How-Mindfulness-Can-Build-Your-Brain

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