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Most of us know that we have some bad habits that are standing in the way of us achieving what we want in life. We also know that we need to replace these with some empowering habits that will make the transition to a better life a lot easier.
This is all well and good but the problem is that breaking bad habits and forming new good ones is a tough thing to do. It requires dedication and effort that most people are not prepared to commit to.
If you really want to break your bad habits and form good ones that will change your life for the better then you need to understand how habits work. In this article we will look at the science behind habits so that you can understand them better and increase your chances of making a successful change in your life.
Habits Have Cues
All habits have cues. These are the things that trigger a specific habit within us. There are different categories of cues and the experts believe that they fall into five main categories which are:
- Your emotional state
- Specific times of the day
- What you see
- Where you are
- The influence of others
A habit is a neurological loop in your subconscious mind. When the right cue appears it will automatically trigger the habit.
It is tough to change your response to these cues especially if you have habits that have been around for years. Most of the time we do not realize that our habits are being triggered by these cues.
There Is Always A Routine
As soon as you experience the right cue then you will go through a routine that means you will exhibit certain behavior or take specific actions. This is important because it provides you with the opportunity to replace a bad routine with a good routine.
Many psychological experts will tell you that it is far more effective to replace a bad routine with a good one than it is to attempt to totally eliminate a bad habit altogether.
This makes a lot of sense and makes the process of breaking your bad habits much easier if you replace the routine with something better. Habits have Rewards
All habits have a reward associated with them. You may not realize this but it is true. Each time you smoke a cigarette or eat junk food there is a reward attached to this. Smoking may make you feel relaxed for example. Even good habits have rewards such as cleaning your teeth makes your mouth and breath feel fresh.
You Crave Habits
Because you repeat your habits over and over you will receive your reward and then your brain will start to crave whatever the reward is. This craving strengthens the habit whether it is good or bad.
The craving is a positive thing for good habits because it makes the habit stick. On the flip side it is a negative for those bad habits because it will constantly nag at you to indulge in them.
You are now aware of the habit neurological loop that will help you to break any bad habits that you have and form new ones that are good for you. It is a matter of addressing the cues, routines and rewards to make the changes that you desire.
3 Phases Of Forming A Habit
People that are successful in life perform routines that support their success. You may have read that it takes approximately 21 days to form a new habit but there is more to it than that. A number of research studies have concluded that it actually takes people 66 days on average to form a new habit.
There is a process involved in forming new habits. It is not just a matter of doing something consistently for 66 days. If only it was that easy!
So, let’s dive further into what the three phases are to habit formation which will help you on your journey to forming the new habits that you desire.
1. Honeymoon Phase
Imagine meeting someone and then falling in love with them. The world seems a much better place after this doesn’t it? Every new day is exciting and you are prepared to do anything to make this new person in your life happy. You never want this feeling to end but in the majority of cases it does unfortunately.
Reality kicks in and things look different. You start to question whether you have made the right choice. The same can be said for forming a new habit. At the beginning you are very excited about what this new habit will do for you. You work hard at it and feel great about it.
Then suddenly you get past this honeymoon stage and things don’t look so great any more. It is now becoming a chore for you to keep your new habit going. Congratulations, you have just entered the critical stage.
2. Critical Stage
This is not called the critical phase for nothing. It is the time when reality really starts to kick in and you question whether all of the time and effort that you are spending on your new habit is really worth it.
Your motivation levels are at their lowest during this phase and if you don’t survive it then there is a real danger that your old bad habits will resurface and you will go back to your old ways.
You must successfully navigate your way through the critical phase to continue with your new habit and make it stick.
The best way to survive the critical stage is to do the following:
- Be aware that you have entered the critical phase
- Ask yourself the right questions to refocus and take control of your emotions
- Visualize the big picture – how continuing with this new habit will change your life for the better in the future
3. Second Nature Phase
As you might expect, this phase means that your new habit has reached the stage of becoming second nature to you. This is a great place to be but you still need to be cautious here as you do not want to fall foul of these things that can put you back in the critical phase:
- Getting discouraged
- Having your new habit interrupted
- Feeling that you have already done enough
Any one of these things can land you back in the critical stage. If you do end up back there then you need to keep fighting to get back in the second nature stage.
After that it is just a matter of carrying on until the new routine becomes an automatic habit.
You really need to work on your positive habits and to do that you will need to develop a strong success mindset and that is easier than you think; you may just need a few pointers to help you out along the way.
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