Taking Command of Your Habits

In the Creatures of Habit video, we introduced the idea that up to 99% of our lives are spent on AUTOPILOT—In some type of automatic routine—In a habit.  Take a few minutes each day over the next week to consider all the areas where you are on automatic pilot.  Begin to see where you are a creature of habit.

As a reminder, there is nothing wrong with habits.  We are designed to create and use habits.  Some habits promote health and well-being and others do not.

Most of our habits are in our blind-spots and we can do nothing to influence them.  By SEEing your habits you bring them into your conscious awareness and are able to change and modify them if you so choose.  It is very powerful to see our habits for what they are!

We have created a list of places to look for habits, but it certainly is not all inclusive.

Your Morning

•  Time you awaken
• Thoughts you have about how the day will go
• What you eat for breakfast (or not)
•  How you dress and prepare for the day
• Your thoughts and reactions about all the above

Your Day

• Ways of interacting with family, friends, co-workers/clients
• Ways of getting work done
• What you work on (or not)
• When, what, and where you eat
• Your posture
• Driving
• Where you shop/what you buy
• what activities you will do (or not)
• Interaction with email, social media, calendar, phone
• Your thoughts and reactions about all the above

Your Evening

• What you have for dinner
• Interactions with family/friends
• Time you go to bed and your bedtime routine
• Your thoughts and reactions about all the above

We discussed in the Creatures of Habit video that all habits have triggers and rewards.  When our brain registers a trigger an automatic behavior happens which leads to the reward.

Identifying triggers and rewards are very powerful in allowing you to take command of your habits.  In this section we are asking you to begin to identify triggers and rewards in general, then we will move to a specific area or habit you wish to adapt!

Triggers

We cannot stress enough the importance of understanding triggers!  Triggers for habitual behaviors/reactions can be internal or external.  The trigger may be a thought or emotion.  Many thoughts lead to a habitual emotional response which leads to other habitual actions or behaviors.  The trigger may be a situation or circumstance, an item or people in your surroundings or time of day. Marketers and advertisers understand triggers very well and use them to influence your purchasing decisions.

To better understand the trigger ask yourself the following questions:

• What thoughts am I thinking?

• What emotions am I feeling?

• What time is it?

• Where am I?

• Who else is around?

• What did I just do?

• What bodily sensations did I experience?

• What is in my environment? What do I see?

Rewards

Our brains constantly seek rewards, but we often don’t even realize that the reward is what we are seeking.  Rewards may be physical [body], cognitive [mind], emotional [heart] or spiritual.

The chart below indicates some common rewards for the body, mind, heart, and spirit.  It is by no means an all inclusive list, so add others that you see for yourself.  Which rewards do you most commonly crave?  Look back at the list of habits you created in the SEEing My Autopilot activity and see if you can identify the reward for some of those habits.

Click on image to make it larger!

To support you in understanding further why making changes seem so difficult, we are providing this video regarding the change cycle and how it is incorporated into the SEE, Create, Live the Alternatives Model and our modules.

Where are you on the continuum?

To further assess where you are in the continuum, ask yourself the following questions and be ruthlessly honest in your response.

• Am I willing to commit time and energy to making this change in my life? Am I willing to schedule this time on my calendar along with my other commitments, then keep the appointment?  Am I willing to say no to other commitments in order to create time for this one?

• Am I willing to take time to prepare myself for this change?  Am I willing to plan and prepare on a regular basis to make this happen?

• Am I willing to ask for support in making this change?

  [Note: “friend power over will-power”]

• Am I willing to make small changes gradually over time to improve my success?

  [Note: having too many goals limits the amount of attention and willpower you can devote to reaching any single goal]

• What/who am I doing this for?

  [Research shows that self-motivation rooted in positive thinking is more impactful than making a change out of fear, guilt, or regret]

• What do I want to experience in my life out of making this change? These may be thoughts, feelings, bodily sensations, etc.

• What is really important to me? What is really, really important to me?  What is really, really, really important to me?

Now that you have a better understanding of habits in general, you can go to work on a specific habit and create alternatives in that area.  The Lifebook includes activities to have you SEE, Create and Live the Alternatives to the habit that you would like to adapt. It is intended to be used for a variety of habits, including eating, sleeping, exercising, etc!

Click on the image below to access the Lifebook.  The Lifebook is downloadable and may be used either on your computer or printed and used as a journal.

Set yourself up for success in doing this Lifebook!  You may wish to spend approximately 1 hour initially to go through the Lifebook and write down the thoughts that occur to you in that time.  Then we invite you to spend at least 15 minutes daily for the next 30 days working on just 1 habit.

Here are some suggestions for how to structure your success:

• Don’t forget the importance of triggers.  Determine a trigger for this!  Will you do it after you brush your teeth?  Can you set an alarm or notification?  Will you use a sticker/post-it/sign in a place that will remind you?

• Schedule time on your calendar to do the work.

• Friend Power over Will Power – Share your commitment with a friend or family member.

• Request or arrange for uninterrupted time to complete the activities in the Lifebook.

• Download or print the “sticker” below.  Put it on your desktop, your refrigerator, your mirror, anywhere that will trigger you to SEE, Create, and Live the Alternatives to your habits.

One of the disadvantages of being Creatures of Habit is that we are not truly present in our daily lives. We have explored how we live a large portion of our lives on autopilot.  Habits can make our lives easier, more productive, and healthier when we use them to our advantage.   They can also leave us disconnected, unhealthy, and unhappy.

So how do we use habits to our advantage and be present in our everyday lives.  Mindfulness is the key!

Mindfulness is being aware of the body, mind, heart, and spirit in the present moment.  Mindfulness activities are about turning off the auto-pilot and becoming conscious of the present moment.  It is about bringing awareness, without judgement or trying to change what is.

We can apply mindfulness without any special tools or techniques.  We can just be.  We can engage all 5 senses and experience the moment.  We can become present to our emotions, thoughts, bodily sensations while doing everyday activities like walking, eating, and even brushing your teeth!  Formal mindfulness practices can also be done through activities like yoga and meditation.

Mindfulness is has many health benefits and it can help you enjoy life more!  We invite you to practice mindfulness!  Some of our other modules have specific activities that you can use to practice mindfulness.