Imagine your brain as a vibrant and dense jungle. Navigating through it, just like making a decision to embark on something new, can feel like forging a path through an actual, impenetrable wilderness. It’s arduous, it’s energy-consuming, and your brain despises expending unnecessary energy. So, your brain devised a clever trick to overcome this struggle: it created paths in this intricate jungle of thoughts, a series of well-trodden trails.
As you set out to do something, you unknowingly trample on the underbrush, forging rough, improvised trails. The more frequently you undertake the task, the more distinct the trail becomes. Over time, these trails evolve into well-worn paths, easier to traverse. They morph into comfortable streets, and as you repeat the activity, day in and day out, these streets expand into highways. Suddenly, the once-difficult task becomes effortless, familiar, and comfortable.
These well-defined mental highways create a comfort zone, and our brains love routine and comfort. So, it’s no surprise that we tend to stick with what we’ve always done. The challenge, especially for adults, is that these jungles are crisscrossed by numerous established streets and highways. Breaking free from the comfortable rut becomes daunting.
To understand how these highways are constructed, we need to distinguish between two key elements: routines and habits.
Routines and Habits: The Backbone of Our Lives
Routines are sequences of actions that we carry out the same way each time because they’ve yielded favorable results. They are like the work of a wise planner in your brain, slow and analytical, strategically mapping out the course of action based on what we want to achieve, even if it involves a little discomfort. Routines eventually evolve into habits, which are sequences of actions that we perform without even thinking about them. They feel like autopilot. Habits are initiated by triggers, context cues that signal your brain to start the behavior or action.
Now, your brain is not just one entity but a complex system comprising both the wise planner and the impulsive toddler. The wise planner considers the future and carefully selects actions for specific outcomes, even if they involve some discomfort. The impulsive toddler, on the other hand, responds to immediate desires and immediate rewards, without much thought for long-term goals. It detests hard work and only chases after immediate gratification.
This rewarding feeling is at the heart of both good and bad habits. Chocolate tastes great, and browsing Reddit is occasionally mildly entertaining. The rewards associated with these actions beckon us to repeat them, even when they’re not in our best interest. This is how bad habits are born.
In reality, these two aspects of your brain, the wise planner and the impulsive toddler, often work in harmony. You need the wise planner for complex tasks like solving problems and doing your taxes. But for mundane and repetitive tasks, the impulsive toddler takes the lead, freeing up your mental resources for more complex challenges.
Building New Highways in Your Brain
So, what if you want to make changes in your life, introduce a new behavior, and make it stick? The key isn’t necessarily forcing yourself through willpower, but convincing your brain that the change isn’t such a big deal. You can do this by creating new routines and gradually transforming them into habits. Your wise planner paves the initial trail, while the impulsive toddler ensures that the action is initiated effortlessly.
Let’s take a common goal as an example: getting fitter through regular exercise. To make this process easier, you should break down the goal into clear, manageable actions. Make them specific so that you don’t have to think too much about them. For instance, doing ten squats every morning. The next step is to establish a routine, including clear triggers that the impulsive toddler can pick up.
Triggers are signals associated with the action. They can be visual cues, specific times, or designated places, or even better, a combination of these. These triggers serve as the start button for the action, initiating it automatically. So, if you want to establish a habit of doing morning squats, make sure to always do them at a specific time and place, perhaps while wearing your exercise gear.
The goal is to make the action as pleasurable as possible. Find ways to enjoy it, not necessarily by rewarding yourself afterward, but by making the action itself more enjoyable. For instance, only listen to your favorite podcast while working out or intertwine another task you like with the one you’re trying to establish as a habit.
In essence, the process is simple, though not easy. Starting is usually the simpler part, but the challenge lies in maintaining the action consistently over time. The time it takes for a new habit to be initiated automatically varies, ranging from 15 to 250 days. You won’t know exactly how long it will take for you.
However, remember that success in making even a small change is worth celebrating. Being a bit healthier, more knowledgeable, or happier with the little things in life is infinitely better than staying stuck in a rut, yearning for change but doing nothing about it.
In the end, change is a journey, not a destination. It’s a direction worth pursuing, no matter how young or old you are. Change begins with small steps, and these small steps can lead to significant transformations over time.
Thank you for joining us on this journey.
Sincerely,
Mindfulness Day
Cover Image https://unsplash.com/photos/Bf3Eba4lMdE
Recovering from addiction is a challenging journey, and people often seek help for a variety of addictive behaviors and substances. Here are the top 10 addiction habits that people commonly try to recover from:
Alcohol Addiction: Excessive and uncontrollable consumption of alcohol that leads to physical and psychological dependence.
Drug Addiction: This includes a wide range of substances such as opioids, cocaine, methamphetamine, and prescription medications, leading to dependence and harmful consequences.
Nicotine Addiction: Addiction to tobacco and nicotine products, typically in the form of cigarettes, e-cigarettes, or smokeless tobacco.
Prescription Medication Addiction: The misuse and abuse of prescription drugs, including painkillers, sedatives, and stimulants.
Gambling Addiction: Compulsive and uncontrollable gambling that can lead to financial ruin and severe personal consequences.
Video Game Addiction: Obsessive and compulsive gaming behavior that interferes with daily life and responsibilities.
Internet and Social Media Addiction: Overuse of the internet and social media platforms, leading to negative impacts on mental health and relationships.
Food Addiction: Unhealthy relationships with food, often characterized by binge eating, emotional eating, or other disordered eating behaviors.
Sex and Pornography Addiction: Compulsive and uncontrollable sexual behaviors, including excessive pornography consumption.
Shopping and Spending Addiction: Compulsive buying and spending behavior that leads to financial problems.
It’s important to note that addiction recovery is a highly individualized process, and there are many other addiction habits that people seek help to overcome. Recovery often involves a combination of medical, psychological, and social support to address the underlying causes and develop healthier habits and coping mechanisms. If you or someone you know is struggling with addiction, seeking professional help is essential.