How to stick to a Reducept training program?
Reducept is a training program for your brain. The goal of the training is to retrain your brain to create less pain. Yes, that’s possible! And yes, it will require some effort and discipline from your side to achieve desired results.
In the beginning, it can take some time to get used to a new routine. It may be difficult or even stressful to start doing something completely new. But don’t worry - that’s normal, and every one of us feels the same when we embrace changes.
Just remember that your brain works like a muscle, so it's important to train regularly and, above all, to persevere, to retrain your brain positively. One thing that can help you with an ongoing training process is developing a routine around it. A routine means that you build a fixed pattern, spending dedicated time and effort on your training.
Tips for developing a training routine
Before you move into the tips, check out the masterclass by Louis Zantema on building the micro habits.
- Link it to your existing habits
The most important tip for developing a new habit is to link it to an existing routine. You've probably already created quite a few fixed patterns in your life, like morning exercises, walking your dog, afternoon rest time, or reading before sleeping. Use these events as anchors for your new habit to reduce the chance of forgetting to do it.
Simply add 20 min before or after your existing routine to exercise with Reducept. Your current habit will trigger your new practice and create one new wholesome pattern.
- Do it every day
New habits can take a long time to create, but you can speed up this process if you start doing it daily. We recommend you dedicate 15-20 minutes every day to your Reducept training during the first four weeks of your treatment.
You can spend this time playing with the app, following the online pain course or doing the exercises from the membership portal. The important thing is to make a small but consistent effort to see positive results.
After the first month, it is crucial to continue playing regularly. Together with your doctor, you can discuss the training frequency and plan the most convenient schedule for you.
- Make it comfortable
When you start something new, you want to make sure it’s easy and comfortable, so your brain isn’t afraid of the obstacles that stand in your way.
Ideas on how to make your sessions comfortable:
- If you are training at home, communicate to people around you that you don’t want to get disturbed during your sessions. It is essential to create a safe, silent environment when practising. It’s especially crucial when you train with a VR headset. You won’t see things around you, and you don’t want to get scared of sudden noises and movements.
- Make sure to charge your VR headset / mobile phone before the session starts. It will be discouraging to prepare yourself for the training and find your devices run out of battery.
- Choose clothes that bring you comfort and freedom of movement. Even if your training does not have a physical element, your whole body engages in the practice. Find the cosiest, comfiest clothes that bring you joy just by thinking of wearing them.
- Prepare your needed supply for the session, whether it’s a cup of hot tea, a bottle of water, a notebook with a pen, or a headband to pin your hair during the session if they disturb you.
Understanding which frictions you experience around your new habit and trying to reduce them will prevent you from avoiding your practice in the first place.
- Be flexible if needed
Reducept training works best if you do it regularly every day at a fixed time, even if you feel no pain. But you can also train with the Reducept app at the moment when you are in a lot of pain. It will have a calming effect, and we hear from many users that the pain is more bearable right after using Reducept.
However, please note that if you only play Reducept when you suffer a lot, there is a greater chance that you will not play regularly. So we advise you to stick to a fixed time and break the routine only occasionally.
- Write down notes
Taking notes of each training session can help you reflect on your feelings, mood and impact of the session on your body and make you overall more aware of the new practice. You can choose to do it handwritten or create a folder in your Notes app on your phone. Your notes don’t need to be lengthy - aim to spend no more than 5 minutes writing them down. Choose a simple structure that you can quickly fill in with details every day.
Here are several ideas for your daily notes:
- Type of training session (VR app, mobile app, physical exercise, visualisation, meditation, reading, online course, etc.)
- Starting time of the session
- Duration of the session
- Your mood before and after the session
- Your pain score before and after the session
- 2-3 points that you learnt from this session
- 1-2 questions that you want to address with your doctor after the session
- Celebrate your achievements
Rewarding yourself is an essential part of building a routine. Your goal is to fuel your training process with positive reinforcement so that your brain gets used to feeling good about your new habit. And though the Reducept therapy is a self-rewarding thing in the long run, it’s your responsibility to cheer yourself up for every little progress.
Choose what works best for you, and don’t forget to do it!
Ideas for rewarding yourself:
- Give yourself a dose of your guilty pleasure right after the training session (a cup of delicious coffee, extra nap time, food delight, hot shower or bath, favourite TV show…)
- Post your progress on social media to get support from your network (also, you can share it with our private community on Facebook!)
- write yourself a praising note at the end of each week in your journal
- Every two weeks, buy yourself something inexpensive but desirable as a gift for your commitment. It can be a book from your wishlist, a nice pen, special edition chocolate, a funny mag or a magnet with a motivational quote, a deliciously smelling hand cream, lip balm, or body lotion, a photo frame, a pack of tasty tea. You get it! It really should not break the bank but give your a feeling of celebration.
- Be gentle and mindful to yourself!
Many people who try to start a new routine fall into one dangerous trap: they become so hard on themselves that discovering new things is no longer fun or educational. See if the schedule you have set for yourself is feasible and adjust it if necessary. It is more important to persevere in the long term than to do everything right the first time.
So here you have it. We hope that these 7 tips will help you add the Reducept training into your daily routine without stress. Make sure to talk to your doctor about your exact training program. Your doctor will guide you through the therapy, but it’s up to you to make the most of it.
Good luck and enjoy the journey!
7 tips on how to set up a training routine
