Habit (in psychology) – Any regularly repeated behaviour that requires little or no thought and is learned rather than innate. A habit—which can be part of any activity, ranging from eating and sleeping to thinking and reacting—is developed through reinforcement and repetition.

Habits are very strong, we all know that. Or maybe we yet did not realize.

Why habits are so important for our lifestyle?

The power of a good habit can shape our life in a better and healthier way, while a bad habit can define our lifestyle negatively. 

In fact, our daily actions are not actual decisions, but just habits.

Have you ever thought how an action can be taken with not even thinking about? 

Let’s take the example of brushing our teeth: we learn to do this simple action from our childhood, 2/3 times per day, for years and years, until the point that we do not have to think too much about it to actually do this daily task.

The interesting fact is that a habit can create a neurological craving. 

Think about when you prepare your first coffee of the day: the craving that we have for the taste of our first cup is created by the pleasure that we already know; to this point we don’t even think about the action needed to prepare a coffee.

A behaviour like this generates a release of pleasant chemicals into the brain.

How habits actually work

The loop of a habit has mostly 3 steps:

– First, there’s a cue or trigger. A specific time of the day, f.i. right after we wake up we usually do the same action.

– The second step is the routine: maybe you’re a smoker, and your cigarette usually comes after drinking a coffee or when you feel bored. Or maybe you bite your nails when you’re nervous.

– The final step is the reward: the repetition of a certain routine gives to our brain those ‘pleasure’ chemicals.

The loop of a habit become so strong and automatic that our brain is not able to fully participate in taking that specific decision.

This is the reason why we should understand the importance of how habits work, in order to take control of them. 

Why right habits can make a huge positive impact in your life

Create a healthy habit is to automatize our actions to free up energy that can be used to focus on other tasks. 

On the other side, when a bad habit is created is it crucial to change it in order to interrupt it and “install” a new one.

Remember, your brain can’t tell the difference between bad and good habits. You have to do that.

The routine of your daily life is created by yourself, make sure to have good habits to create the magic loop and take advantage of this fascinating process.

The goal is to transform your desired actions into habits!

The Golden Rule of Habit Change 

Start from the same cue or trigger, then CHANGE the routine and finally provide the same reward!

EXTRA

8 Powerful Habits

Meditate before work. 

Studies and cultures showed us through years how impactful is meditation. 

Have you ever tried it before a daily stressful time such as a work shift or an important occasion? 

Give yourself a peaceful time where you can close your eyes and take deep breaths, you will be able to handle the next action with more presence and calm.

Drink water.

I don’t know how many times I’ve read this sentence. I have nothing to add, water is crucial for our body and mind, and the benefits are simply endless. 

Are you struggling to ‘remember’ to drink? Try to have always with you a 1 litre-bottle that will remind you to drink, or put near your bed a full glass of water to boost yourself from the very first moment of the day!

Schedule naps.

This is interesting. Many performers and athletes declared that taking power naps during the day raise up their energy level. Do you know that feeling of being lazy and tired after lunch for example? Science explains that a 15/20 mins nap can make a huge difference on our level of lucidity and productivity for the rest of the day. And yes, make sure to sleep 7/8 hours per day!

Learn new stuff.

Our brain is a muscle, we need to train it as the ones we train during our gym-workouts. 

But how we can do it? An amazing step to do is to learn a new activity. Try a new sport, start that course that you were thinking of, or watch a tutorial about how to make a delicious meal. It works!

Practice gratitude.

This is probably the most underrated habit, but personally I found it one of the most impactful that I ever tried. Write on a post it or journal about it, when we manifest gratitude to our life we create abundance for ourselves that help us to live more and better our present, plus we learn to not rush with our decisions.

Move your body and have fun.

I guess this 2 are well connected. Who can disagree about having fun while we move our body?

Start that gym program that you’re post-pone since time, practice your favourite sport or try a new one, go out and spend time with your friends and dears, and make sure to fill your ideal week with one or few of these components, you will feel more empowered, healthy and productive!