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HEALTHY HINTS: Looking at the habit of habits

Jenny-Aitken

I have always been someone who loves a good routine. During university, I had the same breakfast almost every morning for four years: oatmeal, with a handful of almonds, a banana and a glass of milk.

I eventually got tired of that, and moved to my current daily breakfast: cottage cheese, with strawberries and rice krispies mixed in. My morning ritual hums like a fine-tuned machine, and I do things in the same order, and the same way, every day.

The National Public Radio article entitled Habits: How They Form and How to Break Them, explains scientists have traced the habit-making behaviours to a specific part of the brain, called the basal ganglia. The basal ganglia also plays a role in the development of memories, emotions and pattern recognition.

Decisions, on the other hand, are made in the prefrontal cortex of the brain, but as soon as the activity becomes automatic (or habitual) the prefrontal cortex takes a backseat. This works to our advantage, as once the behaviour becomes a habit you can spend that time thinking about other things. That explains how we can find ourselves completely zoned out while doing our laundry or commuting home, as we have performed these tasks so many times they become seemingly brainless activities.

The article also notes that being on vacation often allows us to break free of our habits. Studies have shown that people perform automated behaviours - like putting on their shoes or brushing their teeth, the same way every time. But when on vacation, we are more likely to “switch things up”, because when the cue changes, the pattern changes.

Habits can save us time and brain power, but they can also have negative consequences. We all likely have a habit or two we wish we could kick (I have an unshakeable gum chewing habit that has stuck with me for years), but breaking our habits is usually challenging – and sometimes feels impossible.

The Psychology Today article entitled How to Break Bad Habits, explains it is first important to define the concrete behaviour you want to change; so instead of saying, “I want to eat better and exercise more”, you need to set out concrete goals: going for a 30-minute walk every day, eating out less, cutting down on junk food, etc.

The second step, as the article explains, is to identify triggers and to deal with those triggers. So if you’re trying to eat better - well, get rid of the junk food in your house, and then steer clear of the siren call of the chips and candy aisle at the grocery store.

Other tips for breaking habits include getting supports, such as having a gym buddy or someone who checks in on your progress. Finally, it’s important to be patient and cut yourself some slack – habits are something we form over time, so it’s going to take a little time to break them too.