HABIT: A DOUBLE-EDGED SWORD
“Men’s natures are alike – it is their habits which separate them”.
Confucius
Webster defines a habit as - an acquired mode of behaviour that has become nearly or completely involuntary. The habit is formed through repetitive actions performed over a long time.
Think about our habits – checking our smartphones, visiting social media sites, eating food at certain times, going to bed early or late or offering prayer daily – these are acquired modes of behaviour due to repetitive actions.
It would be interesting to know how habits are formed.
Neuroscientists have found a part of our brain called the basal ganglia, which is crucial for habit forming. Once a neural pathway for a habit is established in our brain, it never disappears. The downside is that our brain doesn’t recognize good practices from bad ones.
Charles Duhigg, in his fascinating book – The Power of Habit- explains the cycle that happens when we perform a habit. The process is CUE – ROUTINE – REWARD.
Let us take an example of a habit of craving junk food. Say, you are driving on a highway, and you see the board of McDonald’s (cue – a trigger). You get in and eat a burger (routine). You feel good (reward). For some, stress serves as a cue, leading them to either binge eat, smoke or drink as they have a false sense of relief (reward in their eyes). They know it is a bad habit, but they cannot resist. The cravings initiate what is termed a HABIT LOOP. The same loop also occurs with good practices, e.g. exercising daily, leading to a ‘feel good’ state.
The family environment also plays a significant role in the inculcation of habit. A child growing up seeing his parents offering prayer before dinner will likely develop the same habit. (I have seen such persons). We will develop the habit of having green tea after dinner if we observe our family doing the same. Practices in childhood are more caught than taught.
Habits also stem from the company one keeps. It is so common to see a person indulging in wises like alcohol abuse or extensive tobacco consumption when he is in the company of friends who have the same bad habits. Environment plays a key role.
Getting rid of bad habits and forming new good habits is hard. One must fight through the ‘apparent’ discomfort and consciously attempt to enter a new zone. Warren Buffet once commented: “Chains of habits are too light to be felt until they are too heavy to be broken”.
The biggest obstacle is OURSELVES and our attitude. The people around us and our environment (e.g. mobile distraction when you want to read a book) create resistance. We go to sleep with the firm resolve to get up early and go for a walk – but in the morning, we find an excuse (I have a long day ahead, I am tired etc. etc.) and do not get up! Does this not sound too familiar?
The good news is that we can eliminate bad habits and inculcate good ones - But HOW?
The most important thing is to become AWARE of our negative habits. Since they are primarily automatic, we often must be aware of our habits and their associated experiences. The routine has engulfed us so much that we turn a blind eye to the catastrophic outcomes of our harmful practices. e.g. Giving up Smoking.
Realizing the harmful outcomes of a negative habit (e.g. health issues due to smoking) can help eliminate the bad habit. As a medical practitioner, I have experienced that mere talking does not help. But when I show them pictures of patients with dreadful mouth cancer as a result of tobacco consumption, the effect is impactful. Every bad habit has an unfavourable outcome (in any form). The key is to be aware of it. Bad habits, unfortunately, sabotage our future.
Another effective way of getting rid of bad habits is to remove cues. e.g. If we want to get rid of snacking between meals, keep snacks away (take the help of your spouse/friend). Keep our mobile switched off for a certain period, leave it in another room, or ask someone to keep it with them – if we want to get rid of mobile addiction. Removing CUES is the way ahead.
A healthy habit takes time and repetition to form. We must be patient and give ourselves time to achieve the desired result. e.g. If you have changed your food habits to lose weight, you have to stick with it for a very long time to achieve your goal. We will never develop a healthy habit if we get frustrated at not getting the outcome quickly. Take notice of the long-term effects of small but ‘consistent’ daily changes. Creating habits is all about a process.
Habit is a double-edged sword. Good habits elevate, whereas bad habits sink us. Winning or losing – both are habits!
Remember – we ‘form’ the habits, and then habits ‘form’ us.
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