Why are good habits so hard to make but bad habits are so easy to have?
The answer is only one word:DopamineYour brain is like a big fat ball of glue that sticks every single bad habit it can roll over, because every little case of indulgence provides a tiny surge of pleasure.It feels sooo good to get drunk, masturbate, watch N-th funny video on YouTube or eat that piece of chocolate.Good habits, on the other hand, are no fun at all. Blood, sweat and tears. Yikes!Yes, the end result is nice: this book you've finally published, six-pack instead of a bulging gut or money on your account, because you were so productive.But getting there? Bleah!So, bad habits happen "on their own", while you need to work on developing your good habits.Bad habits provide instant pleasure, while good habits mean delayed (but insanely exponential!) gratification.In the end it's not true that bad habits are easy to make and good habits are not. It depends on how consciously you live your life.If you operate in a semi-automatic mode, it's no wonder bad habits glue to you like dirt to a chewing gum.We are not animal, we have power over our actions and ability to self-reflect. You can examine your deeds and correct your ways.As others indicated, we can punish yourself for bad habits and reward ourselves for the good ones.As Victor Frankl wisely said:Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom.You are free to choose. You are free to reflect. You are free to modify your habits.The last piece of wisdom in that regard:Good habits are hard to form but easy to live with; bad habits are easy to form but hard to live with. — Brian TracyAnd a perfect illustration of that from The Slight Edge:
How can i stop a bad habit?
im 16 and have been sucking my thumb since i was 3 how can i stop this bad habit because i REALLY need braces and i cant get them until i stop sucking my thumb ive tried most things and they just dont seem to work please help and thanks for the advice
What are some general bad habits and how do you end them?
So many strategies. I've used self hypnosis, phasing out, cold turkey, environmental management, Journaling and others. It was never easy. I suspect the best method is highly individual and specific to the habit. Generally speaking it seems to help to practice present moment awareness. This tends to interrupt automatic behaviors which is what habits are. Monitoring self - talk is also helpful. Correct false positive statements about the habit you are making to yourself. Try substituting good habits for bad ones. Avoid confronting your habit with strong emotion as habit gremlins are skilled at taking that energy and using it against you. Quiet resolve seems to be the most effective attitude toward a bad habit. In the end, it will likely require stopping cold turkey, but by then you should have the mind skills to dissolve the anxiety the habit will use to survive. It may seem like this is for substance issues, but it is even more effective for behavioral habits. Remember this: each time you deny the habit expression it gets a tad weaker. The only way I know to sustain that for the time it takes to rewire your brain is by adopting the mindfulness habit described above. It's a marathon not a sprint. So settle into it comfortably and with quiet resolve. These suggestions come from a roomful of self - help books and a lifetime of experience in self - management. Good luck.
Which one is easier: to adopt a good habit or to end a bad habit?
They're both equally difficult, depending on how willing you are to actually achieve the "goal." Habits aren't inherently good or bad, the brain doesn't function that way in regards to what you're talking about. A serial killer might considering murdering people a good habit, while you'd considering it a bad one. Ending a habit is far more difficult than adopting a new one, the neural pathway already exits. The brain always wants to take the path of least resistance, it's basic evolution. The brain functions in a unique way, pathways dull over time but are never forgotten.. It's why a drug addict, despite being clean for so many years, can have one hit and be back in the game with such ease.. That same "ability" that allows him to be a seamless drug addict also allows him to clean up easier, as the pathway (habit) already exists to get clean. Make sense? There's a caveat to this -- The brain forms new neural pathways daily, it doesn't have much difficult creating them.. it's the adoption (utilizing) those paths that's difficult. That's a two-way street, ending and creating go hand-in-hand.. Since the brain is more than happy to take the path of least resistance (creating/utilizing) it's also equally unwilling to let go of something that makes its life easier. (ending/utilizing)This is a gross over-simplification of the whole process obviously and so many factors are involved (from genetics to environment) that it's hard to give a "correct" answer. Look at it this way -- When choosing between two paths, one already worn and easy to follow.. the other full of vines and overgrown brush.. Which would you choose?
My 3 year old is learning bad habits from her friends???
teach your child consequences of her behavior and actions. if she behaves badly, take away something that she likes to do. be sure to also tell her that the behavior she sees the other child doing is not acceptable. i use every opportunity i get to teach my 4-yr old...especially when we see a child acting up in public. they say to learn from the mistakes of others as you won't live long enough to make them all yourself. good luck.
What are good strategies for getting rid of a bad habit?
Replace it.A lady came to a sage with the same question.She said, “Guruji, how can I get rid of my bad habits?”The sage asked her to bring him a cup of water from the river nearby. Though a little perplexed, she got the water from the river. The water was dirty.Then, he asked her to take the clean water from the pot and keep pouring it on the dirty water till the water became clean. The lady was very perplexed, but she still decided to indulge the sage.She did as he said. Soon enough, after a few rounds of pouring clean water in the cup full of dirty water, the water in cup became sparkling clean. She brought the cup to the sage.The sage said, “Like the water in the cup which became clean after a few times of you pouring clean water from the pot, our bad habits need to be replaced by good ones.”If you eat junk food, start carrying small tiffin boxes of food with you.If you want to drink more water, carry a water bottle. On your work/study desk, keep a couple of bottles of water.If you want to do more work, use a kitchen timer (of, even an app like Brain Focus) to time your work hours.If you want to quit smoking, avoid people who smoke. Replace the habit by drinking more water.The point is that ours is a monkey brain and is subconsciously affected by our surroundings.Surround yourself with people who have good habits.Create environments which reduce the effort required to maintain the habit.Maintain a record of your habits.Over a period of time, you will see that you have changed as a person.
How to end my eye rolling habit?
Sorry, I didn't know where to put this question.. Well, I have this bad habit of rolling by eyes A LOT. But the thing is, I never realize that I'm doing it. My friends just always say "You rolled your eyes again!" The point is, how do I end a habit when I don't even know when I'm doing it?"
How to stop bad habits? eg Rubbing Eyes?
Ok recently i been rubbing my eyes alot! and stuff happens, just when i was rubbing my eyes , it started to sting cause i was taking a shower) how do i stop this habit?
How does one overcome bad habits?
So Bad Habits, huh?Let me tell you that most people fail in stopping themselves from bad habits by telling in their mind ‘I do not want to do this particular thing’. This is normal.But, psychologically, the mind in this situation does exactly opposite what you’re not willing to do.For example : You are having a habit of smoking and you are determined to stop it. And in your mind, this thinking goes on ‘hey, from now onwards, do not smoke’.And after sometime, your brain does exactly opposite of it. And ultimately you won’t be able to stop it.So now answer to your question, ���how can we stop bad habits?’Answer : Replace that bad habit with a good one.How?You can replace smoking with chewing gums or trying eating whatever you like to eat (Which must be good for your health).Eg. 2: Suppose you’re having a habit of Over Masturbating which is not good for health.So how can you stop it?First of all, ask yourself why do you want to stop over masturbating? Because it is not good for your health.Okay now here comes second thing and most important thing.Try doing a heavy workout in order to make your body feel tired. This will refrain you from over-masturbating.In short, I’m trying to tell you that I can understand it is somewhat difficult to stop bad habits. But, your inner self itself knows that it is not impossible to stop that bad habit. Only thing you need is Patience.And most importantly try to motivate yourself by appreciating your decision “Yes, you want to stop this bad habit and you will stop this soon” and feel proud of your decision. One day you will really stop that bad habit.Raj Dalwani