It's not a bad thing to have routines…. When eating, for example, you don't have to think about chewing or swallowing; it’s second nature.
A psychology professor at Stanford University, said, "We want the brain to learn how to do certain things without energy and effort. Habits are an adaptive feature of how the brain works.”
But sometimes, habits can lead us astray.. for example:
When we're down, we tend to comfort food, and when we're stressed, we take a smoke break.
According to Elliot Berkman, director of the University of Oregon's Social and Affective Neuroscience Lab, just as it takes practice and repetition to shape habits, it also takes practice and repetition to break them.
“It’s hard to stop a behaviour, but we are action-orientated creatures,” says Berkman.
So instead of trying to stop doing something—start doing something else.
According to some reports, the more you suppress your thoughts, the more likely you are to think about them or even fall back into those bad habits.
The answer… Replace a bad habit with a good one!
It takes time and effort to develop a new habit, so don't be discouraged if it takes longer than you anticipated.
Tips :
Have a more compelling excuse to quit your bad habit than just wanting to stop
Think about how you're going to stop by setting better goals for yourself. Thinking about an action plan will help you build the attitude that you can do it. That's half the battle won
Identify your triggers! Remember, triggers are the first step in developing a habit. Identifying the triggers behind your habitual behaviours is the first step in moving past them
Start small. Aim to change one habit at a time
Motivate yourself with rewards for success. When you concentrate on your accomplishments, you're less likely to get frustrated or indulge in negative self-talk, all of which can sap your motivation
JOIN OUR KICK YOUR HABIT CHALLENGE!!
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