How to change bad habits
Replace the bad habits with healthy, new ones.
Have you been struggling with bad habits that seem impossible to overcome? This article will explore a simple method for changing them.
The first step to changing bad habits is to identify them. Reflect on your daily routine and list your bad habits. Old habits never truly disappear—they remain dormant and can resurface, especially during stress or fatigue.
The Neuroscience of Habit Formation and Lasting Change
Habits are like shortcuts — we can do them quickly and without thinking because we’ve done them so often that they’ve become automatic.
Lasting change is deeply rooted in the habits we form. Habits are created through consistent repetition, gradually embedding into the brain’s neural pathways until they become automatic. This process saves time and mental energy, allowing the brain to default to these behaviours effortlessly. However, contrary to popular belief, old habits never truly disappear—they remain dormant and can resurface, especially during stress or fatigue.
The key to sustaining new habits lies in consistency and resilience. When old patterns re-emerge, it’s important not to view this as a failure but as a natural part of the process. Quickly returning to your new habits reinforces them over time. Actual habits require persistence and often take months, or even years, to fully integrate into your lifestyle. Understanding this process and working with your brain’s capacity for neuroplasticity can help you build enduring habits that lead to meaningful change.
Habits are formed through a four-step process called the "habit” loop." The” loop consists of the following parts:
1. Cue: The trigger that initiates the habit.
2. Craving: The motivational force behind every habit
2. Routine: The behavior or action that follows the cue.
3. Reward: The benefit or pleasure from completing the routine.
Understanding the habit loop is crucial for changing bad habits.
You can replace the routine with more positive behaviour by recognising the cue and reward. Now that you understand the habit loop, let's explore an easy method to change your bad habits. This method consists of four steps.
1. Pick One Habit to Change: Trying to change all your bad habits at once can be overwhelming. Instead, focus on one habit at a time. This will make the process easier and increase your chances of success.
2. Identify the Cue and Reward: The next step is identifying the cues and rewards associated with your bad habit. For example, if you want to watch less TV, the signal could be boredom, and the reward could be temporary relief from your thoughts.
3. Replace the Routine: Could you replace the routine with more positive behaviour once you know the cue and reward? For instance, instead of watching TV, you could read a book.
4. Practice and Improve: Changing a habit takes time and effort, so be patient. Please practice the new behaviour every time you experience the cue and reward, and refine it as needed. Over time, the new behaviour will become a habit, and the old one will fade away.
References:
"Habit formation: implications for personality theory, research, and the structure of traits."
Authors: Neal, D. T., Wood, W., & Quinn, J. M., Published in: Personality and Social Psychology Review, 2016.
"Breaking habits: the dynamics of habit formation and change."
Authors: Verplanken, B., & Wood , Published in: European Journal of Social Psychology, 2006.
"Habit: A neurological framework for habitual and goal-directed behaviour."
Authors: Graybiel, A. M., Published in Nature Reviews Neuroscience, 2008.