How to train children’s willpower

Maybe we have all experienced it before: we want to read, but as we read, we either find the book boring or we don’t have time, and the plan to study is interrupted; we want to exercise, but only persist for a few days, and we find various reasons. , do not exercise as planned. And so on, many times, we are unable to do things as planned for a long time and habitually procrastinate. These are all manifestations of a lack of willpower. Especially now, in the era of information explosion, temptation is everywhere. If a student wants to resist all kinds of temptations and focus on his studies, willpower is indispensable. About willpower The so-called willpower is the ability to control one\’s attention, emotions and desires, that is, self-control. Stanford University psychologist Kelly McGonigal mentioned in \”Self-Control\”: We only have one brain, but our brains have two selves (ideas). One self is arbitrary and enjoys the moment, while the other self is to overcome impulse and be foresighted. A willpower challenge is a confrontation between two selves (ideas). The Miracle of Classroom No. 56: How to Guide Children to Love Learning pdf Every time we make a decision, we always hesitate between these two ideas. When two ideas conflict, one idea will definitely defeat the other. . For example, if your desire to eat defeats your desire to lose weight, then your willful thinking wins; if your desire to keep fit defeats your desire to sleep in, then your desire to overcome impulsiveness wins. When our willpower is strong, overcoming impulsive thoughts wins, allowing our minds to rationally choose to do what we need to do; when our willpower is weak, arbitrary thoughts win, and our Action will deviate from the goal. As long as we learn some skills and improve our willpower, we can easily resist temptation next time and your learning efficiency will become higher and higher. Several tips to enhance willpower: 01. Exercise. Psychologist Megan Otten and biologist Ken Cheng of Macquarie University in Sydney discovered that the best way to increase willpower is exercise. Exercise can strengthen the physiological basis of our willpower, and the effect on strengthening willpower is immediate. The simplest method: You can buy a treadmill at home and let students run for 15 minutes every day. This can save time and is easy to operate. Continuing to do this for a long time will be helpful to enhance students\’ willpower, relieve stress, and not be addicted to mobile phones. 02. Slow down your breathing. \”Self-Control\” mentioned: Heart rate variability (when the heart rate decreases, the heart rate variability will increase) can well reflect the degree of will. If your heart rate variability is elevated, your willpower will be stronger no matter what temptation you face. So how do we improve heart rate variability? Reduce your breathing rate to 4-6 times per minute, which means taking 10-15 seconds for each breath, which is slower than normal breathing. Slowing down your breathing activates the prefrontal cortex, increases heart rate variability, and helps your body and mind adjust from a state of stress to a state of self-control. After a few minutes of training like this, you will feel calm, have a sense of control, and be able to restrain desires and meet challenges. For most students, slowing down their breathing is easy, and when studentsWhen faced with a willpower challenge, try this approach. 03. Continuously exercise self-control in small things. For every student, this is definitely a win-win investment. For example, students can be asked to memorize 15 English words every morning. Tell students to put their English vocabulary book in front of their bed every day, and memorize English words when they open their eyes in the morning. Let the students persist. Over time, they will not only develop the habit of memorizing English words, but also improve their willpower. At the beginning, the task should not be too difficult. When students have developed a habit of doing this thing, they can continue to do other things. Continuous self-control will enhance a person\’s willpower. 04. Set deadlines and subdivide delayed matters. Every student has various dreams in their heart, but due to weak willpower, they have been delayed until now and have not been able to realize them. For example, some students want to be speakers. He may have thought about this dream for several years. We will now limit it and segment it. For example, let students start now, every Saturday morning from 10:00 to 11:00, to practice speech. Then divide this big goal into several small goals that can be implemented: this month, half a year, one year, three years… What goals should be achieved respectively, and write these subdivided goals in a notebook in detail. In addition, families can often discuss with students how to better achieve these small goals. This is a strengthening process for students. Students can practice this plan every week and persist in doing it for a long time, which can enhance students\’ willpower. Written at the end: Lack of willpower is a stumbling block to success for each of us. If you lack willpower, no matter how lofty your goal is, it is just an illusion in your mind. For every student, it is necessary for parents to deliberately cultivate his willpower from an early age. The above methods are very suitable for students to practice, so you might as well give them a try.