As the new year begins, you may find yourself reflecting on where you’re at – how the past year felt, what carried you through, and what you might like to do differently in 2026. Maybe you have noticed habits or patterns that no longer serve you.  

January can be a natural time to reset intentions, not by aiming for perfection, but by choosing small, realistic changes that support your health and wellbeing. If you’re thinking about what you’d like more of this year – or less of – the Nurse Midwife Health Program Australia (NMHPA) is here to support you. 

If NMHPA is new to you, we’re a free, confidential peer support service run by nurses and midwives for colleagues and students.  

Review – take a minute 

Let’s review those auto-pilot behaviours and understand why you have them. Does a specific situation, action or feeling always lead you to this? What need is being met? Figuring this out is key to replacing habits.   

“Before you focus on the habit itself, take a moment to understand the intention behind it and what you want to achieve,” says Martine – NMHPA Clinician. 

Set a habit intention 

Cue your new behaviour. What are you going to do, and how can you give yourself the best chance of making this new behaviour a habit? Our tip is to start small and link the new behaviour to something you already do.  

Cues for shift workers 

Some cues work better than others. For shift workers, time cues such as “I’ll do this at 7pm” can be hard to stick to because the schedule is never the same.  

Event-based cues such as “I’ll do this after I…” are stronger and more reliable. 

For example: “After my first meal of the day, I’ll do a two-minute stretch.”  

This is a stable cue; it doesn’t matter if that meal happens at 6.30am or 4.20pm. That stability makes the habit easier for your brain to learn. 

Put it into practice 

Read our step-by-step guide to building new habits. Download our habit tracker and put it on the fridge or inside your locker. Write down your intended new habit, put it into action and track your progress.  

Keep at it 

Forget ‘21 days to change a habit’; it’s a myth. Everyone is different and the evidence tells us that the time it will take to form a habit depends on the individual and the complexity of the habit.  

Talk it through if you need 

If shifting a habit brings up strong emotions, guilt, self-criticism or deeper stress, you don’t have to face it alone. NMHPA’s peer clinicians are here to support you. 

Quick habits like adding a stretch might be easier, but deeper patterns may need reflection. If you’d like support reflecting on why a habit exists, or what sits underneath it, we’re here to help you explore that.  

Call us on 1800 001 060 or send us an email info@nursemidwifehpa.org.au