The Anatomy of Habits and How to Change Them?
What did you do when you woke up this morning? Is it the same thing that you did the day before, and the day before that? Do you remember if you put any thought into the activities you did this morning? Probably not or you might still be doing them. The reason is that our brains would literally shut down if we had to think about the process for every single activity. There would be smoke coming out of our ears and we probably wouldn’t get much done.
According to Charles Duhigg, the author of The Power of Habit, the good news is that our brains have a clever system for getting stuff done quickly and efficiently, with very little thought involved. Pretty awesome, huh! This clever little system comes from the basal ganglia in the brain and this is where our habits are nurtured and born.
Habits form after a behavior is repeated several times. In the beginning, the process is slower as the brain is becoming familiar with the behavior. Once the brain gets the hang of the behavior, then it will run with it much quicker thus forming the habit. The brain does not recognize the difference between a good or less desirable habit, this is why some habits are hard to break.
So here is the anatomy behind the creation of a habit according to Charles Duhigg. It starts with the cue which is triggered by a craving. Then it does the routine behavior and ends with a reward. This loop happens quickly and with little effort.
Needless to say, our brains are pretty amazing. In the book, The Power of Habit: Why We Do What We Do in Life and Business the author talks about how habits are created and how to change them. Here are some key points from the book:
- You can’t get rid of bad habits. Instead, habits can only be changed by keeping the same cue and reward and modifying the routine.
- The cues and rewards of the habit loop are driven by cravings so knowing how to spark a craving will help create new habits.
- “Small wins” have a big impact on our confidence. These “wins” help us to see that we are capable of doing so much more.
- As your willpower increases, desirable habits start to happen in other areas of your life.
Final thoughts:
Charles Duhigg has an awesome quote that I would like to share: “People accept something new if it is dressed in old habits.”
We are hardwired to be creatures of habit, which is why change can be challenging. This is why self-discovery is so important. Only when we become aware of our habits and thoughts, can we make any changes in our lives. There are so many tools available to help us train our mind and body (many of which I have written about in my other blog posts), so experiment with different things and see what works for you!
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