How to Build New Health Habits
By Daira Djuric
Volunteer
A habit is the brain's way of being more efficient. It aims to complete as many tasks as possible without having to think about them. In addition, efficiency can be a positive characteristic of our brain. For instance, drinking a green smoothie every morning benefits your health. And not having to relearn how to drive your car every day means you have reliable transportation. Obviously, this efficiency can also be negative.
As an example, biting your nails every time you have a meeting at work can cause damage to your nails. Or not brushing your teeth after eating can cause tooth decay.
Difference between habit and routine
Routines differ from habits in that they are intentional, whereas habits are automatic. Both are repeated actions. Unlike routines, habits emerge without much conscious thought. Routines require deliberate practice to succeed.
In order for a routine to become a habit, it must be performed without much thought. For example, if you drink tea every morning without thinking about it, that would be a habit.
Building good habits in 8 steps
1. Eliminate triggers
Determine what people, places, and activities have a negative association with your bad habits. Then change your behavior towards those people, places, and activities.
For example, If you are addicted to shopping, avoid shopping malls. If you want to quit smoking, don't go outside when your friends smoke. At the same time, in order to avoid poor behavior, you need to actively manage your stress levels.
2. Reduce cravings
To reduce cravings, identify the feeling you want and then use a healthier action to achieve it. Cravings are driven by a desire to change your internal state.
If you are craving relaxation, take a bath instead of smoking. If you are craving energy, eat a banana instead of drinking another cup of coffee.
3. Make a negative habit difficult
It is impossible to develop habits if you make the behavior difficult. For instance, if you have a bad habit of staying up too late, start your day earlier. You'll think twice about staying up late if you're physically exhausted and running on little sleep.
Another example is keeping unhealthy foods outside the house. You`ll be less likely to drive to the grocery store if you crave ice cream which makes this habit more difficult.
4. Uncover the root cause
In order to change your bad habits, you must uncover the cause of them. For instance, maybe you stress eat as a way to cope with stress. In order to cope with stress, you can use self-care practices like mindful breathing to nourish your mental well-being.
5. Adopt healthy routines
A good habit is built through lifestyle choices. Planning your day and incorporating healthy practices where it makes sense is the best way to change your lifestyle. For example, you can eat a vegetable and fruit when you wake up. You can also take a restorative nap during your lunch break, and go for a quiet walk at night. Make sure the practices you choose are realistic and healthy.
6. Swap a bad habit for a better habit
The easiest way to change a habit is to exchange it for a better one. Instead of eating a slice of cake every night, swap it for a baked cinnamon apple.
7. Build intrinsic motivation
If you want to build intrinsic motivation, you need to believe two things: you have the freedom and choice to act as you please, and a task will teach you something new and make you a better person. Learning how to deal with negative emotions is one of the best ways to believe these two things. Seeing progress towards your new habit is a major motivator. Creating a chart or spreadsheet can also help you track your progress. The final step to maintaining intrinsic motivation is to make your goal public. Tell a close friend or post it on social media. Making your goal public serves as a powerful accountability tool.
8. Tie a new habit to an already existing habit
In order to stick to a new habit, it is helpful to stack it with an already well-established one. For example, if you want to start meditating start by scheduling a 2 min meditation right after you brush your teeth. Dental hygiene is an established routine which occurs daily without too much thought. It is easier to develop a new habit of meditation if you add it to an existing routine.