What are Habits and How can We Change Them?
The definition of the word ‘habit’ is a routine of behaviour that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously.
Most of us operate on autopilot, floating throughout our day in the same pattern of behaviour as the day before, making similar food and lifestyle choices as a result.
We all have habits. They give structure and order to our lives, helping us to feel some semblance of calm and safety.
Some habits are useful to us, and some are not so helpful.
How do we change our habits, then, in order to achieve more of what we want in our lives?
Let’s break habits down further.
The backbone of any habit is a 4-step process:
Cue: first there is a cue, which triggers the brain to anticipate a reward (which our brains are naturally wired to sniff out).
Craving: the driving force behind every habit which results from a cue. Without some level of motivation or desire, we would have no reason to act. What we often crave is not the behaviour itself but the change in state that it delivers. Take for example, a headstand. You are not motivated by the act of standing on your head, but rather, the feeling of vitality and energy you get from doing it.
Response: this is the actual habit you perform, which can be physical or mental. The response depends on your ability, which means a habit can only occur if you are capable of doing it (e.g. if you don’t know how to drive a car then you will not be able to perform the response).
Reward: as a result of the response, you will reap a reward. Rewards are the end goal of any habit. The cue is ultimately about spotting the end reward, whereas a craving refers to the desire for that reward. We chase rewards because they a) fulfil us and b) they teach us.
Whenever you want to break a bad habit, ask yourself:
How can I make the cue invisible?
How can I make the craving unattractive?
How can I make the behaviour more difficult? (an example is not having lots of processed sugary foods in the kitchen cupboards).
How can I make the reward unsatisfying?
It’s ultimately about enhanced awareness of our routine patterns and chunking them down to make change.
I talk to a lot of my clients about this very notion and it is so vital for getting more of what we want in our lives, be it with our health, career, finances, relationships.
Who else is fascinated with the world of habits?