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7 Steps to Help Build Healthy Habits

Updated: Mar 31, 2022

Healthy habits can significantly improve the quality of life in general. It would seem that everyone knows how important it is to form positive neural connections and get used to doing good things, but few people really take the time to do it.

Healthy habits can significantly improve the quality of life in general. It would seem that everyone knows how important it is to form positive neural connections and get used to doing good things, but few people really take the time to do it.

If you have seriously decided to take on yourself and change your life for the better, then set yourself up for a small effort for 21 days. This is the amount of time we need to establish the habit at the level of neural connections in the brain. Then, over time, they become stronger, and the longer we follow our habit, the harder it will be to change it. So, one thing at a time.

The Concept of a Habit and Its Types

Have you ever noticed how after repeating an action a couple of times, you start to do it on the automatic. This is thanks to our brain, which quickly forms our actions into habits.

Scientists have found that about 40% of our actions have already become a habit and are unconsciously performed by us. This trick allows the brain not to get hung up on secondary tasks, directing energy to more meaningful tasks.

All habits can be divided into two groups:

  • Healthy habits.
  • Harmful habits.

Useful habits often do not stand out from our daily activities, such as brushing our teeth, washing our faces in the morning, and so on. For us, these are already mundane activities that we don't even think about.

In contrast, there are also bad habits. For example, late bedtime and late rise, eating fast food, avoiding physical activity. Some people are happy with this way of life, but even if they are not, it is not easy to change the habits. After all, they are firmly held within us.

If you have repeatedly tried to change your habits, but the attempts were not successful, then do not give up. Even the most hardened way of life can be changed for the better. The tips below have already helped many people, and no doubt will help you. You only need to start!

The Mechanism of Formation of Habits

There is a mechanism by which habits are formed. To start this process, there must be a signal that will cause us to do the same thing, time after time.

For example, going to bed late. If you don't turn off the TV or put away the distracting phone in time, your brain will not give signals to go to sleep. But it will remember that it's necessary to stay awake until the last moment. You will lie awake until morning, completely oblivious of fatigue. If you remove the interfering objects, your brain will take it as a sign that it is time to go to sleep.

But the habit is not only about repetitive actions, it will not be developed if there is no element of encouragement. The brain will not cling to an action unless it is rewarded for it. For example, in the case of late and early bedtime, it is rest or a good night's sleep.

Biologically speaking, the reward for the brain is the release of hormones, more specifically endorphins. It causes feelings of satisfaction and euphoria. You like to feel these pleasurable emotions. So you will tend to do things that give you pleasure.

This is when self-deception kicks in. You start looking for excuses for your actions, such as: "If I go to bed now, I definitely will not fall asleep. I will just lie dumb anyway". But think about it and remember that the best rest for the body is a quiet pastime.

2 Ways to Get Rid of Bad Habits

An effective option is to show willpower. But, unfortunately, this way is rarely chosen and most often when the side effects of bad habits are hard to reverse. For example, when an improper diet or the use of harmful substances so depletes the body that it is no longer able to cope on its own. At such times, a person is greatly motivated and shows all the tenacity of character to give up bad habits.

But you should not wait until the disease takes hold of you. It is much easier to prevent the disease than to treat it. It is worth changing habits at the stage of their emergence.

Now to the second option. It can be described as "signal - action - reward". Only in the case of "action", change the detrimental habit for something useful. For example, if your problem is overeating and being overweight, it is necessary to understand what causes it. Stress, boredom? If at any point you feel that your emotions are taking over (cue), and you reach for another sandwich (action), then stop and replace the meal with physical activity. Go out for a run. This way you can dispel bad thoughts, keep in good shape and get the necessary dose of dopamine. Over time, healthy and unhealthy habits will switch places.

You'd be surprised, but changing one habit will set off a chain reaction, and you can change your entire lifestyle, becoming more confident and feeling better about yourself. As proof of this, here's an example of a 2006 experiment conducted by Austrian scientists. 30 students developed the habit of managing their finances more wisely, and soon after, their lives, from grades to nutrition, changed markedly for the better.

Creating Healthy Habits

The "signal-action-reward" principle mentioned above applies here. For example, if you want to build a habit of exercising, pick your days and start no matter what. You only need to overcome the initial laziness, and then it will go uphill.

Any endeavor seems difficult, scary, and contradictory. But it's worth putting aside your doubts and just start doing what you want to do. If you decide to run, force yourself to get out of the house. It's not that difficult. It would be foolish to go back, so just start running. After exercising, a decent amount of dopamine is released into your bloodstream. Your body will feel and remember the good feeling. And further, sports will cause you only positive associations, which will contribute to strengthening healthy habits for health.

Remember that your life is under your control. If you notice that bad habits are destroying the world around you and your health as well, then you should change the destructive action to a constructive one. And then things will gradually start to change for the better, in all areas of life.

Have you ever seen a professional athlete start abusing alcohol? No professional who respects himself or his business would take the path of self-destruction. The only exceptions are cases of extreme negligence with regard to one's health or too much influence of a bad habit. If a person begins to struggle to develop one habit, then, unnoticed by himself, habits in everything change.

For example, if you start running, you gradually give up junk food, constant partying, the habit of staring at the TV is also replaced by something useful and pleasant. Changing your habits, you change your nature and begin to attract to yourself what goes along with your new nature. If you decide to fly, then spread your wings wider and discard everything that pulls you down. First and foremost, your bad habits.

Bad habits are not only about our physical state, but also about our emotional state. For example, uncontrolled anger is considered a bad habit. Its manifestation may be caused by an event that causes a negative response. Replacing the usual manifestation of aggression with psychological tricks like counting to 10, you will calm down and begin to think soberly. By doing this time after time, you can develop a habit of avoiding anger and improving your mental state.

Generally speaking, every person has a set of habits. But they are not given to us by nature, but are developed by people themselves. By adhering to the described method of substitution, you will be able to change your way of life, outlook and spend time beneficial to yourself, your health and emotional state. And the feeling of euphoria will spur you on the way of self-knowledge and self-development.

Remember that unlike bad habits, the right ones, and as a consequence, healthy habits will bring much more benefit and pleasure not only to you, but also to those around you.

7 Simple Steps to Form New Healthy Habits

Choose a Habit and Prescribe Clear Rules

Write down in detail what, when, how many times and how you will do, all your actions.

Choose a habit with the expectation that a few more new ones can stretch from it.

For example, consider a habit such as improving your skills at the best in-play betting site.

Consider in advance what circumstances may be a valid reason for giving up the habit or an indulgence on the way to its formation.

By prescribing all the rules from the very beginning, you create a kind of contract with yourself that cannot be changed or broken.

Motivate Yourself Properly

Explain to yourself why it's important to develop a healthy habit.

Think and write down what it will give you, what advantages, what good things will appear in your life if you follow it.

To understand this question in more detail, look for more information in open sources.

Do it regularly, so that you don't lose interest on the way to becoming a useful habit. Constant motivation will keep you from giving up halfway. Reread your notes and look for new arguments.

Set Triggers

Habits come into play when a provocative situation arises and the brain sends a signal for a familiar quick action.

Come up with your own trigger for your new habit and combine them. Tie it all into a regular action like-getting up in the morning, coming to the office or home, the phone ringing, another habit.

Allocate Your Time Properly

Remember your daily routine and think about the time you need.

Do you have enough hours in the day to introduce a new activity into your schedule?

For example, if you want to devote at least 30 minutes a day to reading, are you physically able to set aside that time?

Besides the action itself, you will need time to remind yourself of the habit, to prepare to do it, and to analyze the degree of success.

Create Conditions for Habit Formation

Clear your space and get rid of everything that prevents you from concentrating on what's important. Create a favorable environment for the cultivation of useful habits around you.

For example, make sure you have at least a comfortable outfit and sneakers for sports.

Manage the circumstances so that they play on your hand. And then good habits will be instilled without difficulty.

Create Your Punishment

You need the right motivation to succeed. But strict reprimands are also necessary.

Choose a punishment for yourself for skipping a day. For example, if you miss a run, run twice as much next time, or something similar.

Find Like-minded People

Surround yourself with people who are going toward the same goal as you. It's easier to run together and you don't want to go back.

Find at least one person with whom you can share your progress and mutually follow the rules.

Carve out some time for constructive discussion of your achievements and mistakes. Seeing an example in front of you in the person of an ally, the way to become new healthy habits will be more interesting and productive.