Habit troubleshooter · Coping plans + emotional triggers

“I slip when I’m stressed or tired.”

I slip when I’m stressed or tired? On good days it’s fine. On hard days the good habit disappears or an old one comes back.

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On good days it’s fine. On hard days the good habit disappears or an old one comes back.

What is usually going on

Emotional triggers

Stress or tiredness itself has become the cue for the old habit.

No coping plan

The plan assumes a good day, so a hard day has nothing to fall back on.

Low energy

On hard days the habit asks for more than you have.

Harsh self-talk after slips

Slipping leads to self-criticism, which makes the next day harder.

Questions to ask yourself

On hard days, what usually happens?

• An old habit takes over
• I skip the good habit

Afterwards, how do you speak to yourself?

• Pretty harshly
• I just move on

Recommended area: Coping plans + emotional triggers.

Techniques worth testing

• Coping plan for obstacles — deciding now what a hard-day version looks like means hard days have a plan too. (Research-supported)
• The minimum viable version — a tiny version asks only what you have left on a tired day. (Practitioner framework)
• Awareness training — learning the earliest signs lets you respond before the old habit runs. (Research-supported)
• Ride out the urge — riding out the urge teaches you the feeling passes without the habit. (Emerging)
• Self-forgiveness after a slip — self-kindness after a slip is linked with doing better next time — harshness isn’t. (Research-supported)

Test one technique on your own habit for a week or two and keep it only if it helps. What works differs from person to person.