How to Make Healthy Habits Part of Your Identity

Be true to yourself and enjoy a happy holiday season!

Photo by Artem Bali on Unsplash

A week from today I fly home to Australia.

My goal is to have a relaxing holiday without butting heads or requiring a chemical detox afterward.

During holidays it can be challenging to keep good habits intact. Knowing this in advance, it is helpful to have a few strategies in place.

In Japan, where I live and work, it is relatively easy for me to lead a holistic lifestyle.

• Food portions are smaller with natural flavors.
• No one comments if I chose mineral water over an alcoholic drink.
• The party culture is tame (by comparison).
• I walk everywhere by choice (I don’t own a car).
• During summer, I carry a parasol (it’s the fashionable thing to do).
• I don’t sunbath, period.

Some habits I’ve acquired since I moved to Japan. Like the Japanese, I bath at night and remove my shoes indoors. These customs make perfect sense to me.

But some of my quirks are peculiar to me.

• Ever since I was a child I have disliked condiments.