Q. How do you know when you are operating from habits?
A. You will have to pay attention to your actions. Notice when you do something automatically.
Did it produce what you wanted or is it an outdated habit that needs to be upscaled?
Q. Are all your habits relevant to your current lifestyle goals?
A. Some will be, like walking, driving, dressing, etc. Others will need to be updated.
Q. How do you decide which habits to change?
A. Write down all the old habits that are no longer serving you. Prioritize the list. Start with #1.
Q. How should you go about changing your habits?
A. Update your awareness of the current need that the old habit doesn’t fill. Write down the update. Substitute it for the old habit every time it occurs each day. Repetition will establish a new habit.
Q. Can you change several habits at the same time?
A. It is best to only change one at a time. Some old habits can be a real tug-of-war experience.
If you overwhelm yourself with too much change you will avoid it completely!
Q. How long does it take to change a habit?
A. That depends on the person, the action steps taken, and the consistency of the action steps.
Q. How do you determine the hidden trigger that drives your habit?
A. Notice what you felt just before you went automatically into your habit. This will be subtle. You may have learned to self treat using this habit to ease your pain. (Example: feel rejected, hurt, insulted? You go over-spending, over-eating, using addictions, etc.)
Q. How do you address and deal with the actual hidden driver?
A. It could be a physical, mental or emotional trigger. The habit can often cause other problems (debt, weight gain, substance abuse). So it is very important to identify the pain you are trying to escape from. Emotions from childhood like rejection, insult, criticism, humiliation, shame, etc. can still be with you in adulthood. Self care, self discipline, loving support from family and friends, and counseling may be needed to recover from childhood pain or trauma at any age. There are group sessions and individual sessions to choose from. Find a therapist or counselor proficient in your particular issue and one you feel comfortable working with. Be consistent in attending your sessions.
