How to Create and Maintain Habits
Most of our habits were developed without any intention on our part. Have you ever intentionally created a habit and maintained it? Few people have. We seem to have a variety of habits, some good and some bad. All of them seem to have just happened on their own.
However, you can create the habits you desire. If you want to match the results of someone else, find and duplicate their habits.
"Humans are creatures of habit. If you quit when things get tough, it gets that much easier to quit the next time. On the other hand, if you force yourself to push through it, the grit begins to grow in you.”
- Travis Bradberry
All habits have three components:
Habits begin with a cue.
A habitual behavior isn’t a random event. There is something that sets it off, and this is the cue.
- The cue for brushing your teeth might be going into the bathroom just before bed.
- The cue for eating chips late at night could be sitting on the couch alone, in the dark, with the TV turned on.
- The cue for letting the dogs out in the morning is your alarm clock.
- The cue for drinking alcohol might be thinking about your poor prospects for the future.
- Habits are triggered by your surroundings, people, thoughts, and emotions. Think about a few of your positive and negative habits and determine the cues for each one.
The habit itself.
After the cue has occurred, the habitual behavior happens. It’s like magic.
The reward.
Every habit provides a reward on some level. Otherwise, the habit wouldn’t continue. The rewards aren’t always easy to see, but you can bet that the habit makes you feel better in some way, most often in the short-term.
- You might be furious with yourself later for eating a bag of candy, but it sure feels good while you’re doing it.
- Procrastination feels better in the moment than getting started on your work.
- Habits either provide a temporary positive emotional or physical sensation, or they allow you to minimize or eliminate a negative feeling.
- Bad habits have short-term advantages and long-term disadvantages. This is a recipe for disaster.
Habits are very simple. Our brains are wired to recognize what happens right before something good or something bad happens. The good versus bad judgement is based on our physical and emotional sensations. Hypnosis with Joann Abrahamsen can help you rewire the brain!
When something “good” happens, that behavior is likely to occur again. When something “bad” happens, we’re likely to avoid repeating that behavior. You’re simpler than you think!
We all like to believe that we make intelligent, rational decisions, but that’s rarely the case. Our habits overrule our cognition in most cases.
Reprogram your Subconscious Mind!
Download my free guide to the techniques that can enrich your life, and change the destructive habits that have help you back. These are real solutions you can start using today!
Disclaimer: This web site is not for therapeutic or medical use. The reader can use the knowledge herewith contained only in strict accordance with the laws of the state in which the reader resides. Joann Abrahamsen is not responsible for any liability for any intentional or unintentional misuse of hypnosis, self-hypnosis or suggestion techniques contained in this web site. This web site is an introduction to hypnosis and is intended for instructional purposes only. Further study can be pursued through Joann Abrahamsen and other responsible hypnosis associations throughout the country. Without written permission from Joann Abrahamsen, use of any information on this website, whether in print or other media, is strictly forbidden by law.
Copyright © Joanna Abrahamsen. All Rights Reserved.
