We all have habits – some good, some not so good. But how do they come about, and why are they so hard to break?
The word ‘habit’ often has a negative connotation, as we tend to associate it with addictive or negative behaviour – overeating, smoking, watching too much TV, nail biting, gambling or excessive drinking.
But, despite what you may believe, a habit can be changed to have a positive effect on your daily life, establishing routine behaviour that’s actually good for you – getting enough sleep, healthy eating, affirmations, positive self-talk and exercising regularly.
What Kicks Off a Habit?
To begin changing a habitual behaviour, it helps to understand exactly what a habit is – how it forms and how you can replace an old one that isn’t so great with a positive new one.
A habit is simply routine behaviour you engage in regularly, a recurring and often unconscious pattern solidified by constant repetition.
It’s a product of what’s referred to as ‘classical conditioning’, discovered over a century ago by a Nobel Prize-winning Russian psychologist, Ivan Pavlov.
‘Classical conditioning’ is learning a new behaviour via the process of association, where two stimuli are linked to produce a new learned response.
For example, in the case of an emotional eater, when they’re feeling stressed, sad, anxious or extreme emotions, something has triggered them to use food as a source of comfort.
Working With the Habit Loop
Because food can’t fix the ‘problem’, the original issue remains and is usually compounded by a feeling of guilt or shame.
So what forms and strengthens the ‘habit loop’, a phrase coined by author and New York Times reporter Charles Duhigg in his book The Power of the Habit.
The ‘habit loop’ forms when a cue – such as stress, anxiety, depression, low self-esteem – then triggers a desire or feeling that leads to a specific behaviour – such as overeating, smoking, biting nails, gambling, excessive drinking – to satisfy that desire or feeling.
Do you have a few habits that need work? Check out Breaking Bad (Part 2): 10 Steps to Bust a Habit. It’s as easy as 1, 2, 3!
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