Habits - tendency not destiny

We are marching forwards into Autumn, the cold and wet are drawing in, and we might start to notice changes in our behaviour. I certainly find that I am more motivated to maintain certain positive habits during the summer (such as exercise, or eating healthily) and in the winter I tend to hunker down into cozy, but sedentary, indoor activities and indulge in one too many biscuits!

Today I'd like to share some thoughts about habits and change.

So where do our habits come from? 

Habits are repeated behaviours. We are inclined to form habits because it saves us energy by removing the process of decision making. We go into "auto pilot" and can use our thought processing for other things. 
This can be helpful when our habits benefit us, but it can also be unhelpful if we find ourselves repeating behaviours which keep us stuck or get in the way of our goals.

 

Noticing is the first step

If we are able to notice unhelpful habits, we open up the possibility of choosing to do otherwise.
We can work backwards from the action to our thought processes, and start to examine the mindset which is informing our behaviour.

Our mindset (or way of thinking) is shaped by our experiences over our lifetime. Some aspects might change on a regular basis (for example as a reaction to recent or current events) and other aspects are more deeply rooted.

 

Understanding gives us the opportunity for change

Our mindset informs our actions and repeated actions develop into habits over time. By investigating the mindset behind why we engage in certain unhelpful behaviour (or avoid actions which would be good for us) we give ourselves the opportunity to break the cycle of behaviour which is not serving us.
Using understanding, rather than judgement, means that we can gently nudge our mindset in a more helpful direction.

I strongly believe that we are all capable of change, no matter how 'set in our ways' we might seem to be. Adapting this belief about yourself is also the first step in making change: having the courage to demand more, expect better of yourself, and knowing that you are capable of it. Our habits are our tendency, not our destiny.

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