Techniques for breaking habits11/18/2023 Instead of feeling shameful or discouraged, you can start to develop a more objective grasp on what you actually do - and what you in fact want to do. early nights can help you start to identify patterns - perhaps the nights where you spend scrolling social media tend to mean you go to bed later, for instance, or even that you don’t sleep well. Imagine you’re trying to work on getting more sleep, so you start writing down what time you go to bed each day and what you did for the hour or so before going to bed. This might sound like a recipe for self-shame, but it can actually be a means for reclaiming agency over your circumstances. Ignatius encouraged young Jesuits to use the Examen to tally up each instance of something they were trying to work on in their life. But it’s in the cringey parts of your day, the things you wish you could get a do-over for, where the Examen method really shines. ![]() For all the good in your day - especially the “small” things you might have overlooked in the moment - it can be really gratifying to take a moment to express gratitude. It can be surprising to go back over your day and “discover” things you missed. And that’s basically what it is: in the Examen, you rewind your memory and slowly replay the events of the day from start to finish. ![]() Ignatius of Loyola, founder of the Jesuit religious order, popularized a spiritual practice known as the Examen long before the advent of recording devices. Getting better at something requires that we honestly review the habits we’re forming and have the humility to change course. But when I listened to a recording of one of our shows, I realized I had been making this weird smacking sound every time I got ready to speak into the mic. ![]() After a few episodes, I felt like a natural. I enjoyed prepping topics, and bantering on the air was quite the thrill. When I was in high school, some friends and I helped run a live radio show. Use mental replay to find your blindspots But instead of turning to Google or picking up another self-help book on how to turn those inclinations around, consider this simple method from a 16th-century Spanish mystic.
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