“It’s not an accident that dirt roads end up with deep ruts on them, that moguls on hills get steeper and that we find ourselves slipping back into the very things that exhaust us at work, at home, in life. Once the pattern starts to be grooved, we repeat it, which only makes the groove ever deeper. Habits are habits because in many ways, they’re simply easier in the moment.” ~ Seth Godin
I will repeat this, because it is important: only you can decide what is a good habit for you; and realize that ‘habit’ refers to the behavior, not the outcome. A habit can help you move towards a goal or an intention. A habit can improve your quality of life … again, you decide if it can and will do accomplish that.
We hear it time and time again: people don't change. Change is hard and to illicit REAL change takes the level of commitment many are not willing to give. At the same time, here we are again peeking at the new year and we’re asked by every friend, relative and email ad what our resolutions for the New Year were. So it begs one to ask: which is it? Is change really impossible or can one change a perceived less-healthful habit or behavior to become more (or less) of (insert flaw/characteristic here)? And if change is impossible, are we just setting ourselves up for failure with New Years’ intentions?
Two schools of thought.
Change is not impossible.
Through hard work, dedication and focus, you CAN indeed achieve change. You can break old habits and create new ones. Especially when one has the support of friends and loved ones, it is definitely possible to adopt a new 'norm'.
How? Change comes about through deliberate replacement behaviors over a period of time. Experts disagree on just how long one should focus on the new behavior/mind-set/habit; 21 - 45 days is generally recommended. During this period, one should focus their energy on doing the new thing as much as they do on not doing the old thing. Substitute one for the other. In order to set yourself up for success, it is recommended to get appropriate accessories (e.g. Good shoes and easy access to classes and/or instructors if one wants to start an exercise regimen); get rid of notable and apparent barriers (e.g. lack of apparent time by putting the exercise times on the calendar); and by surrounding oneself by those who support gaining the change. Internal motivators, clearly, are the key to success but it never hurts to have a cheering section and the support of those who are willing to keep you on the path to success (e.g. those brave souls who would be willing to questioning your need for the entire bag of Fritos).
Change is impossible.
The human body is an amazing creation. It can achieve unbelievable feats, and one should marvel at all that is possible merely because we are human. Besides having that enviable opposable thumb, the human body is also highly resistant to change, because by its very nature, change will impact homeostasis (also known as ‘stability’ and ‘normal’). Change is new, and the body does not always do well with 'new'. In fact, it can and will go to great lengths to maintain 'normal' rather than accept change. You only have to look at any restrictive diet, and the lack of successful results to see how great that resistance can be. The human body likes to keep things just as they are and will go to astonishing efforts to maintain. It will deliberately slow metabolism, slow normal body functions rather than shed pounds. It will trick your mind with urges and cravings rather than let you eat your newly-adopted diet regimen. It will be so pitifully slow to accept new physical skills that any increase in ability seems glacial or even invisible to the human eye. The one seeking change won't see any improvements in the mirror; these minute shifts are invisible to the eye that sees the same visage each time they look in the mirror.
Beyond fighting actual human body tendencies, also, in seeking change, one is actually fighting another basic human process, called positive and negative reinforcement. In less scientific terms, we see food, we eat food, we repeat. Positive: we see food, we eat food, we like food and feel good, we repeat. Negative: we see food, we don’t like food (or we get sick), we don’t repeat. A learned response and corresponding behavior. Our natural instinct dictates that we equate calories with survival, and when those calories taste good (yum, pizza!), then our bodies send feel-good signals to the brain to note what you just ate and where to find it as well as the response you gave; you’ve just learned a response that your body wants to repeat and repeat. Because the body is rewarded (Yum, pizza! Tastes good. I feel good. I will eat more pizza!), the behavior is reinforced each time you repeat, making the behavior more and more difficult to eliminate. So. Change becomes harder and harder to initiate and maintain. Not only does your body not want to give up the pizza, it also remembers how good it was and how happy it was to have some, so … it doesn’t want to give it up. So you are working against basic, innate body responses when seeking change. Wonderful!
Friends, what do you think? Which is it? Are you one to see the glass empty or half full?
Let me tell you a secret: there are specific things you can do to help ensure a greater chance of success.
Make it a conscious action. Think about it: why do you have this habit? When is it triggered? Taking mindful look at why you have this habit and what brings it on (e.g. you are nervous about something at work, so you snack on chips; you drink too much when you are with particular friends; you spend too much time on the computer at night so you can’t get up in the morning for regular exercise sessions.) can help you come up with a plan how NOT to do it, a game plan, if you will. Mindfully focusing on why you are resisting change, why the habit exists, and what you feel when you do the habit (or don’t do the habit) will help you to see what you can do to extinguish the habit finally and firmly. Mindfulness is the key, though, rather than mulishness.
Set a goal. Now you’ve identified why you get the urge, and what triggers it, so you can be aware of what’s happening in that moment, and really consider you have the compulsion to do the habit. This is your chance to break that endless habit loop, and step out of it. Word of caution: the more reasonable the goal, the more likely you will be to succeed in attaining it. The more outlandish? Sure we all want to lose 40 pounds in a month, but the chances of being successful in that endeavor are slim to none. Keep it real, keep it simple, and you’ll likely succeed.
Find a replacement. I know, easier said than done. But not impossible. Now you’ve identified when you have the urge, what triggers it, and how you feel when you do the habit. So you can take a very educated guess what you could do that would help for you to replace it. You smoke. How many each day? Can you reduce it by one? Replace one smoke break with a 10-minute walk? You snack. Can you cut up carrots and crunch on those instead? Or have 1 chip and savor it instead of 15? Breaking up the goal into smaller, easily attainable steps will help you by giving you small successes, which in turn give you encouragement to keep trying for the whole enchilada.
Tackle them one by one. Repeat from above: keep it real, keep it simple, and you’ll likely succeed. Making several grand sweeping changes at one time will likely not lead to success, because A) that is too many things to keep track of, and B) you push too many things at once, then likely one aspect will fail, and that may lead to an avalanche of sorts. Focus on habit at a time, so it’s easier to keep track of your progress.
Trigger, behavior, reward. Throw out everything that triggers your vice. From that ash tray to your secret stash of chocolate to your computer games (yes, all of them. Every.single.one.) You.Will.Win.This.Battle.
Keep track so you know the truth.
Attach your new habit (especially if you are feeling ambivalent about it) to something you love. It is difficult to make a habit out of something you hate; if you are trying to add a new behavior that you feel ambivalent about (like running on your new treadmill, for example), perhaps tying it to something you love (listening to your favorite podcast), and over time your brain will associate the new behavior with the thing you love… soon you will be looking forward to your runs!
Surround yourself with positivity. Pull in your reinforcements. Try to do the change with a friend. Tell your partner what your goal is and ask them to support you and how they can do that (be very specific about what you need from them). Post it social media so you get positive feedback that way. Join a running club. Or a gym. Or a walking group. Share the load, because it’s easier to win in numbers than it is to go about it alone.
You can do this. It may be ‘just’ an intention for the New Year, but it can be a lifelong positive change if you go about it the right way.
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