How many times have you made a promise to yourself to start a new life? From next month, Monday or new year? If you managed to fulfill even one of your promises - a storm of applause in your honor, you have iron willpower. If the promises remain loud words, do not rush to reproach yourself for weak will. Changing habits is a difficult task for 99% of people.
Where do the legs of a habit come from?
Habit is second nature, or, in scientific terms, a certain repetitive pattern of behavior, supported by emotional experiences. A habit occurs when we do something on a regular basis. Any of our actions contributes to the creation of new neurons in the brain. This is his usual workflow.
Why does the brain need it? The brain seeks to automate any action in order to reduce energy costs and time in case of repeated execution of any action. Remember how difficult it is for the first time in your life to complete any undertaking, such as getting behind the wheel of a car. As the action is repeated, the brain gets used to it and a skill appears, it becomes not scary to drive a car. Likewise, any habit, good or bad, is formed.
For example, the habit of excessive consumption of sweets may be based on an unmet need for love and care, which the brain has learned to compensate in this way. Emotions also play an important role in habit formation. All people are sensual beings, therefore habitual actions that are brightly colored by emotions are fixed faster and are more persistent. This, for example, is the key to the formation of addictions to food, alcohol, nicotine. All these substances are able to affect the centers of the brain and cause vivid impressions in people.
Fight on equal terms
How can you overcome bad habits that prevent you from fulfilling the promises you made to yourself about an active and healthy life? It is believed that a habit is formed in 21 days. This statement has a basis, but does not work for everything. For example, a stable tobacco addiction is formed in 4 weeks, and alcohol addiction - in a few years. The time of habit formation depends on the subject, motivation, individual characteristics of neurochemical and neurophysiological processes, and some other parameters.
Consequently, complex habits can be formed piece by piece. So, for example, if your goal is to exercise every day, start small, such as daily five-minute exercise. Plus, it's important to develop your own reward and positive reinforcement system. This is the "reward" that you will receive as a result of performing any action. Thus, for example, doing exercises in the morning, you will get vigor and well-being for the whole day, as well as begin to feel better about yourself. Well-being and self-respect are in this case a natural positive reinforcement. You can also artificially increase your positive emotional response to action, such as exercising to your favorite song or rewarding yourself with something after exercise. Certainly not cake and hamburger!
After a while, the connection "exercise - pleasure" will become strong enough, and the habit will become stable, and it will become difficult for you to imagine the morning without a warm-up. From the very beginning, of course, it will be difficult. The brain needs to form new neural connections. But the more you put in effort and exercise your will, the easier it will be for you to develop healthy habits. Therefore, if you decide to embark on the path of transforming yourself, do not delay and do not "put it on the back burner." Go for it! After all, the road will be mastered by the walking one.
