How to Improve Your Self-Control

What Is Self-Control?

Self-control is the ability to regulate and modify your responses to prevent undesirable behaviors, increase desirable ones, and achieve long-term goals. Research has shown that having self-control can be essential for health and well-being.

Psychologists usually define self-control as: - The ability to control behaviors to avoid temptations and achieve goals. - The ability to delay gratification and resist unwanted behaviors or urges. - A limited resource that can be depleted.

People use various terms for self-control, including discipline, determination, grit, willpower, and fortitude. Some researchers believe that self-control is partially determined by genetics, but is also a skill you can strengthen with practice.

Self-control is one aspect of executive function, a set of abilities that helps people to plan, monitor, and achieve their goals. People with attention-deficit attention disorder (ADHD) often have characteristics linked to problems with executive function.

Why Is Self-Control Important?

A Stress in America survey conducted by the American Psychological Association (APA) found that 27% of respondents identified a lack of willpower as the primary factor keeping them from reaching their goals. The majority of people surveyed (71%) believed that self-control can be both learned and strengthened.

Researchers have found that people who have better self-control tend to be healthier and happier, both in the short term and in the long term.

In one influential experiment, students who exhibited greater self-discipline had better grades, higher test scores, and were more likely to be admitted to a competitive academic program. The study also found that when it came to academic success, self-control was a more important factor than IQ scores.

The benefits of self-control are not limited to academic performance. One long-term health study found that high levels of self-control during childhood predicted greater cardiovascular, respiratory, and dental health in adulthood, as well as improved financial status.

How to Improve Self-Control

While research suggests self-control has its limitations, psychologists have also found that it can be strengthened with certain strategies.

• Avoid Temptation This is an effective way of making the most of your available self-control. Avoiding temptation ensures that you do not "use up" your available self-control before it is really needed. Whether it's the desire to eat, drink, spend, or indulge in some other undesired behavior, one way to avoid temptation is to find a healthy distraction. Go for a walk, call a friend, throw in a load of laundry, or do whatever it takes to get your mind off whatever is tempting you at the moment.

• Plan Ahead Consider possible situations that might break your resolve. If you are faced with temptation, what actions will you take to avoid giving in? Research has found that planning ahead can improve willpower even in situations where people have experienced the effects of ego depletion. For example, if you are trying to reduce your sugar intake and you have a hard time controlling late afternoon hunger pangs, eat a well-balanced lunch packed with plenty of fiber, protein, and whole grains that will keep you full longer.

• Practice Using Self-Control While your control might become depleted in the short term, regularly engaging in behaviors that require you to exert self-control will improve your willpower over time. Think of self-control as a muscle. While hard work may exhaust the muscle in the short term, the muscle will grow stronger over time as you continue to work it. The classic games "red light, green light" or "freeze dance" can help children practice self-control from an early age.

• Focus on One Goal at a Time Setting a lot of goals at once (such as making a list of several New Year's resolutions) is usually an ineffective approach. Depleting your willpower in one area can reduce self-control in other areas. It is best to choose one specific goal and focus your energy on it. Once you turn the behaviors needed to reach a goal into habits, you will not need to devote as much effort toward maintaining them. You can then use your resources to work on other goals.

• Meditate Meditation is a great way to strengthen your self-control muscle. If you're new to meditation, mindfulness meditation is a great place to start learning how to be more self-aware so you can better resist temptations. This technique can also help you learn to slow your thoughts, which can help you control the gut impulses that can get in the way of your self-control.

• Remind Yourself of the Consequences Just like self-control can help you achieve your goals and improve your physical and mental health, a lack of self-control can have adverse effects on your self-esteem, education, career, finances, relationships, and overall health and well-being. Reminding yourself of these consequences can help you stay motivated as you work to increase your self-control.

Having good self-control can mean a number of benefits, including better academic success, better health, and greater success in life. If you are struggling with self-control, there are steps you can take to get better at managing your impulses, delaying gratification, and regulating your actions in order to achieve your goals.