What Triggers Your Bad Habit?
The key that unlocks change
Emotions lead the way
Our emotions have been known to take the lead. Ask yourself, what were you feeling before you were deep into a bad habit? Was it sad, down, frazzled, happy, grateful? Emotions can set off a trigger to behavior we’d like to change. Before we know it we can be in a behavior without thinking. Habits can range from overeating, consistently running late, smoking, and the list goes on. In coaching folks that want to quit smoking, they tell me that sometimes they have a cigarette lit and are taking the first puff before even realizing it. This habit possibly originated with an emotion of some sort, and now it’s done without thinking.
Thinking the same thing over and over
Habitual negative thinking can be triggered by an event. Any event that could be a challenge, a difficulty, or slightly worrisome, can send you down the ugly path of worry and stress. This type of thinking over days, weeks, or years is in the lead. The trigger is the event, the result is your well-worn habit of negative thoughts. Various and crazy events will happen to us through out our lives. What thinking behavior they trigger in us is where to start a change.
Is it time for my bad habit?
You might notice that the time-of-day triggers behavior. If you are used to watching TV every night before bed, you are in a habit. Is this the habit you want? If not, figure out what triggers this? For me, it’s being cozy with my husband as we watch the news. I recognize that I don’t want to watch the news every night, but I do want to snuggle up and have a connection with him at the end of the day. I’ve found that sitting together and reading my phone or talking together does the same thing. The trigger in the evening is the need to be close and connected with my husband. This can be without the TV! Your trigger to eating sweets, can be a certain time of the day, say mid-day when you feel slightly hungry or right before bed. If it’s the timing that triggers behavior, use that information to change the timing. Knowing the trigger allows you to fulfill the need in another way.
The KEY
In this interesting study, the conclusion is that once something becomes a habit, the rest of the brain is freed up and minimal thinking is involved. For instance, driving your vehicle is an example. Remember when you had to think about driving, and all your senses and thoughts were geared toward doing it right? Now driving is so habitual that you can arrive home and not notice the streets or the actions taken to get there. This is the basal ganglia part of the brain in action. Neuroscientists have traced our habit-making behaviors to this part of the brain, the basal ganglia, which also plays a key role in the development of emotions, memories and pattern recognition. New habits can be formed as the basal ganglia will recognize and help you do what you have allowed to be a habit.
Warning: Next step is an action step
If you are desiring a change in a habit, it’s time to shake up the basal ganglia! After identifying the trigger, comes the point of action. This action can be changing what you do at this time of the day. It could be sensing the emotion that led you here and dealing with that instead of kicking yourself for being in the negative behavior. Try to challenge habitual thinking that led you down a path you’d like to change. Begin to write down the emotion, the timing, and the thinking. This brings awareness to your trigger. From there, take an action that will shake it up the behavior. Continue repeating the new action with consistency, and eventually you will unlock the hold of the bad habit with the new habit emerging and being dominant.
