As January comes to a close, take some time to reflect on your first month of 2021. Did you make a new year’s resolution? Are you holding true to it, or have you already given up? If you’ve gotten through the first month strong, you have probably reaped the benefits of the motivation that comes with the new year. If you’ve already fallen off the wagon, it’s never too late to get back on track.
The key to being successful and sticking to your new year’s resolutions is by creating healthy habits. Every health article you read will tell you to quit your bad habits and start new ones, but what they don’t talk about is how difficult stopping and starting habits can be. This month I read a book called The Power of Habit by Charles Duhigg. He explains the science behind habits that nobody talks about, and I am here to tell you about it. By the end of this article you will have a better understanding of how habits work, and what you can do that will help you achieve your goals in any aspect of your life.
First off, what exactly is a habit and how can they have so much control on our lives? Habits are defined as a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. When habits are formed, a part of your brain within the basal ganglia is activated. Habits are so hard to break because they control your body on a subconscious level. Even when a bad habit is “broken” it will always be lurking, ready to bounce back. Although it’s something to be cautious of, don’t let this deter you from making lifestyle changes because I am going to break down what it takes to make a habit stick.
The main components to a habit are a cue, a routine and a reward. Let’s use your phone as an example, because we all know we could do better by cutting back on technology. The cue would be a notification popping up on your screen, the routine would be to check your phone and the reward would be the satisfaction of opening and responding to that notification.
Another popular example would be eating too much junk food, or snacking when you’re not even hungry. Some cues for this may be stress and boredom, sitting on the couch and expecting a snack or opening your pantry and seeing oreos in the dead center of the shelf. The routine is mindlessly snacking on the junk food, and the reward is the comfort that comes with it.
But what turns a behavior into a habit? This is where the craving comes in. Every time your phone buzzes, your body craves getting rid of the notification. When you catch yourself snacking, it’s because your body craved the satisfaction that comes with it. A craving is like the glue to the habit loop. In order to form a habit, you need to form a craving for the reward that you get. This craving is what makes behaviors so addictive, and what drives both healthy and unhealthy habits to form.
The first step to stopping a bad habit is identifying the routine and figuring out what the reward is that it brings you. Make a list of the possible rewards the habit may be providing for you and experiment with them to determine why you’re doing what you’re doing. If you always seem to reach for a sugary snack, think about what your body may be craving. If your body needs some sugar for energy, try eating an apple instead. If you’re acting out of boredom, try doing something else you enjoy. If you just need a break from work, go for a short walk or find a friend to talk to. Try out a different reward each day, and write down the first three words that come to mind after. Set a timer for 15 minutes and if you still feel the urge to get that unhealthy snack, move on to the next reward. By writing down some words it will allow you to be mindful of how you are feeling and make it easier to reflect back on your findings. Continue this process until you determine what reward you are craving.
The next step is to learn what triggers you. To do this, you need to isolate the cue. Each time you feel an urge coming on, write down the time, your location, emotional state, the people around you and your immediate preceding action. After making note of these specific factors for a few days, you’ll be able to recognize what signals are causing you to perform the habit.
Once you’ve determined your cues and triggers, it’s time to change your routine. Find a new activity that you can replace it with. The key to this is choosing something that will provide you with a similar reward in the end. If you find yourself eating junk food for a sugar pick-me-up, find healthier alternatives that will still satisfy your sugar cravings. Put the healthier options at the front of your pantry so they are the first thing you see when looking for a snack.
Remember, these are just examples and you can apply this method to any habit you are trying to change. As long as your new routine provides you with a similar satisfaction, your body will become acquainted with your new routine and your old habit will be replaced. Your body will continue to crave the reward, and therefore continue to power the habit loop.
Overall, the strategy to create healthier habits is much more straightforward than you would think, but it’s easier said than done. As mentioned before, your habits are so ingrained that it can be very easy to slip back into bad habits. The nice thing about that is when you form good habits, those too will always be with you, and will slowly start to overcome the bad ones if you work on them consistently. You need to have patience with yourself and remember that a small mistake is not the end of the world and won’t ruin all of the progress you’ve made. Soon enough, if you follow these tips you’ll be able to smash your goals for the new year and be on the path to a healthier lifestyle!