Most of us struggle to form long-term routines, especially when faced with new challenges. What may be the cause? Why is it so hard to form new habits or change our routines?
A "habit" is a habit or a behaviour that we repeat on a regular basis, that is difficult to quit. Our habits, good or bad, are a part of who we are. Our habits vary, but they all have one thing in common: they are gradual: Start, Routine, and Reward.
The theatre has a set play order. When A speaks B, C enters the scene. Because this is where person C begins. Then one of the dots lights up and music starts playing... A starting signal is a signal that tells us to take action. For example, if we drink coffee first thing in the morning, we may turn on the coffee machine; if we smoke after lunch, we may pick up the lighter, or the lighter itself. We always start with our initial cue.
Routine. We follow the cue and continue about our business. I'm becoming a theatrical actor. And we never deviate from our script, which tells us where to go on stage, what to say when the lights go down.
Prize. We term reward the pleasure we obtain after a routine. For example, the smell and taste of coffee, the first cigarette puff, the serenity that follows meditation...
How Can I Form New Habits or Break Old Ones? Changing or forming a new habit requires conscious effort. We construct a mental link between the routine and the starting cue. Repeating the same actions strengthens the link with the original cue. Repeating an action strengthens our bond to the initial point. So breaking the habit is getting harder.
Change your routine. You can start a new habit by changing your routine. If you want to start meditating in the morning, you may need to change your routine. You can, for example, set an alarm to meditate at a given time every day. When the alarm goes off, begin your guided or unguided meditation. To begin with, it's understandable. However, by regularly repeating your new habit, your brain will form a connection between the two activities, which will strengthen with time. Maybe you'll form a new habit.
It takes time. A habit takes 21 days to break or create. It isn't always the case. Simple habits like drinking a glass of water first thing in the morning may take 21 days. But it normally takes considerably longer.
A new habit takes 66 days to form, according to a University of London study. You may ask why. Because certain habits are harder to learn than others. And some people are genetically resistant to adopting new habits.
That's why self-care is so important. Making a new habit or routine isn't an indication of failure. We wouldn't have learned to walk otherwise. Because if we tried to walk, we would fall down and spend the rest of our lives crawling, probably never rising...