Once upon a time I had a toddler who would wake up in the night and creep into my bed. A seasoned mum (savior, super-hero) said "try a star chart, my kids love them!" I wasn't convinced my child would understand the reward of a 'star' that adds up to a 'prize' but he did! And now I've used it for sleep, toilet-training, you name it, there's a star chart for that.
But me... well I love(d) drinking wine. I loved relying on it during stress, relaxing with it in a glass, coping with meltdowns by numbing my feelings, it was bliss. And also probably not in healthy amounts, and pretty much every night...
So it takes a habit to break a habit; and I decided to make a pretty star chart of my own and wager with some friends who also love their wine. Every night you're wine free, you get a star. The person with the most stars, gets a prize, purchased by the person with the fewest stars. A prize, like, maybe a nice bottle of wine? LOL.
However just like children, this could be used for anything you want to focus on. A friend said "wine doesn't tempt me, but chips[/sugar/donuts/whatever] do." Great, there's a star chart for that. And while I don't have them plastered all over my wall, one at a time will do, I do feel the satisfaction of drawing that star on the next morning, I hope it helps you too.
You can download my Star Chart here - I'd love to know what you use it for, and what new habits you create! Be ready to face the bigger WHY, be kind to yourself, and best of luck!
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