Most of us struggle with habits that we would like to break. These habits negatively impact how we view ourselves and decrease our overall life satisfaction. The more we think about a habit we’re trying to break, the more we become preoccupied and angry with ourselves, which makes us more likely to continue to do it. In a series of recent polls conducted by YouGov, Americans cited such things as not exercising enough, not getting enough sleep, and not saving enough money as bad habits that were interfering with their overall sense of well-being.
Sometimes we resist breaking a habit because it serves a purpose for us, either emotionally or biologically. For example, you might have a habit that’s hard to break because it reduces stress, like a compulsive need to check social media. You might have a habit that’s hard to break because it’s tied to a biological response, like having a hard time getting enough sleep because of poor sleep hygiene.
Dr. Luana Marques of Harvard Medical School explains that habits are hard to break even if they’re bad for us. Habits are routines and when a routine is challenged, our limbic system goes into fight, flight, or freeze mode by identifying the behavior change as a threat. This motivates us to revert to the old behavior. Even if........