1 Oktober, 2022
This is probably one of the most important for our happiness and success character strengths, but also one of the hardest to achieve.
Why is this so and how we can improve our self-regulation? This is the topic of Happiness Accelerator in October 2022.
Let’s start with the definion of what Self-Regulation is? It is the ability to regulate our behaviour based on controlling our thoughts, emotions and appetites. People who have high self-regulation or internal control typically do not act on their impulses and do not give way to anger, jealousy, fear, panic or other emotions to negatively influence their decisions and behaviour. These are usually people with high self-efficacy, namely they have good level of confidence that they can be effective in what they pursue and that they can achieve their goals. Emotional self-regulation improves communication, helps avoid conflict and also improves the sense of well-being. The order, balance, efficiency and effectiveness that self-regulation brings to our lives are very important for achieving our goals and being successful.
What is very important to be known about self-regulation is that it is a resource that can be depleted. We can view our willpower as a muscle, which if used too much gets exhausted. So we need to take a good care of our willpower and regulate its use or allow for it to respore when necessary. As psychologist Stuart Shanker (2016) put it: “Self-control is about inhibiting strong impulses; self-regulation [is about] reducing the frequency and intensity of strong impulses by managing stress-load and recovery. In fact, self-regulation is what makes self-control possible, or, in many cases, unnecessary.”
In view of the above with our Boosters (Daily activities for boosting self-regulation in Happiness Accelerator app) this month we are aiming to help you work in 3 directions:
1. Raising your self-efficacy
2. Learning to protect and replenish your willpower muscle
3. Learning how to regulate your attention, impulses, emotions and behaviors
Join us for the self-regulation ride on
Happiness Accelerator.