“We want the brain to learn how to do those things without energy and effort.” - Russell Poldrack, professor at Stanford University
All of us are packed with an array of habits. Things we frequently do, over and over again, can be called habits. Habits become a part of our daily lives, a pattern created and performed by us involuntarily because of repetition. Many of us who view change as discomfort can very well relate to the difficulty of getting into a new habit or breaking up with one. Habits can be considered a good thing, for example, turning off the lights when you leave a room. These are effective and useful habits that may become part of your daily routine. However, in every seed of good there is always a piece of bad. While one can acquire good habits, sometimes they can affect us negatively throwing us off the right path. Habits are formed because of their frequency in our daily lives. The more we perform them, the more durable they are. This makes it difficult to get rid of habits. Our bodies are compelled into performing habits to prevent the unsettling feeling of discomfort. This is known as the force of habit.
How are habits formed?
We are what we repeatedly do. Habits are generally formed in 4 steps- cue, craving, response, and reward.
1. Cue
Our mind is constantly on the lookout for ways to benefit itself. It identifies cues as it is the first step to achieving a reward. Behaviours are formed when the cue takes over the brain.
2. Cravings
Cues do not mean anything without cravings. It is an individual’s thoughts, emotions, and feelings that convert cues to cravings. Unless, humans are motivated or crave something, they will never attempt for change. However, habits are not cravings. They are the effects brought about due to the cravings. Your body does not want to eat foods that will cause harm but, it is the feeling of satisfaction from the deliciousness of junk food. Similarly, you are not inclined to scroll through social media for hours, but you want to be entertained. When you crave something, it is associated with the inner motive for change.
3. Response
This results in the actual performance of a habit. The motivation and the amount of effort required determine the formation of a habit. If something requires more effort than you are willing to put in then, you are most likely to not do it. A habit will be formed according to your capability, which means you want to do something, but if you are incapable of doing it, then you will give up.
4. Reward
This is the final destination. Rewards provide satisfaction, and make us aware of the actions we would like to hold on to. Responses will result in rewards. After recognizing the reward, craving the reward, and obtaining the reward you finally develop a habit.
How to tackle habits?
Why does it become difficult for us to break out of habits that do not benefit us, and cause us destruction? Why is it difficult to stop smoking even after knowing its effects on us or why is it difficult for us to stop eating unhealthily? Habits that give us pleasure are particularly harder to get rid of. This is because when we perform such habits our brain releases dopamine- a feel-good chemical. Unwanted habits such as scrolling through social media for hours, and biting your nails are usually formed due to stress and boredom. The good news is, you have control over this. There are different ways to tackle your stress and boredom. While most times the causes of stress and boredom may have underlying issues, it is essential to be true to yourself to make changes. Understanding the underlying issues, if any, identifying the reasons, limiting beliefs, fear, etc. behind the adoption of such habits is significant in fighting your way through.
Deal with your habits!
Every habit that we acquire have been created for a reason. Here are simple ways to deal with your habits:
Replace your habits
A habit could benefit you, and at the same time it can be bad for you. Let’s say you check your social media as soon as you wake up. This benefits you because doing so makes you feel connected. However, indulging in social media first thing in the morning results in spending hours scrolling through it, and delaying work for the rest of the day. Most habits such as this benefit you, and also affect you negatively. It becomes difficult to get rid of it. So, you can replace these habits with a new one which will provide related benefits.
Think of an alternative way
When you recognize that a habit is not beneficial to you, and you find it difficult to get rid of it, you plan for substitutes. Think of ways to cope with situations where you are likely to resort to such habits. If you are in the habit of checking your social media first thing in the morning, plan ahead of time to instead grab a diary, and list down at least one work you need to complete for the day.
Change your environment
Make an effort to deal with your unwanted habits by staying away from them. Attempt to get rid of triggers. If checking up on social media the first thing is killing your productivity for the day, keep your phone in a different room before you go to sleep. In addition to that, you could write your to-do list for the next day and keep it near you.
Get a partner
If you are constantly failing at keeping up with your resolution to eat healthily, do it with a partner. This way the two of you can keep a check on each other. The presence of a motivator can make a significant difference.
Be yourself
We generally acquire unwanted habits over time. When we decide to get rid of these habits, we usually perceive ourselves to turn into a new person in doing so. However, it is important to understand, there once was a time where you were without these habits. You do not have to transform yourself into a productive individual, you just need to get back to prioritizing your work over wasting time on your phone. That version of yourself existed before, and you just have to go back to that.
References
Raypole, Crystal. “How to Break a Habit: 15 Tips for Success.” Healthline, Healthline Media, 29 Oct. 2019, www.healthline.com/health/how-to-break-a-habit#swap-habits.
“The 3 R's of Habit Change: How To Start New Habits That Actually Stick.” James Clear, 13 Nov. 2018, jamesclear.com/three-steps-habit-change.
Shortsleeve, Cassie. “How to Break Bad Habits, According to Science.” Time, Time, 28 Aug. 2018, time.com/5373528/break-bad-habit-science/.
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