Habits are entrenched in our daily life. They result from how the brain is wired and how you learn to act. Each person may develop a habit for a specific reason, such as coping with their feelings, and these could include exercising, smoking, or drinking that start as coping mechanisms and become habits.
These behaviors are typically done without a second thought, and you may only notice them once they’ve impacted your life positively or negatively. Whether you want to reinforce or break a routine, there is a way to do it.
Even though taking the step to break a habit can be difficult, having the desire to do so is the first step. So, what is the neuroscience behind behavior change that allows you to break habits? Here are how habits are formed and strategies to re-train your brain for behavior change.
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How Are Habits Formed?
Habits are formed when an action is repeated several times. The reward chemical called dopamine is sparked in your brain the first time you do something, telling you to do it again. Each time after that, dopamine is released earlier until thinking about the event causes an anticipatory dopamine surge which triggers you to perform the behavior. Dopamine is the motivation chemical that helps you follow through on your habits.
This can happen to any habit that you have. People who work out regularly begin to look forward to the exercise since they experience the dopamine surge that makes the activity pleasurable. Many people who smoke look forward to their next cigarette since it will relieve the anticipation of completing the action.
The Role of Dopamine
Dopamine plays a role in our cravings; when we fulfill those desires, we’re rewarded with a pleasurable feeling. Since habits work with dopamine, they can turn the behaviors into something we crave.
Each time you act the same way, a specific brain circuit is stimulated and strengthened in your brain. This makes the action easier to follow through the next time it’s completed.
Our brains form this pattern to help us make processes easier. The first time you’re completing the habits, it takes a conscious effort, but that turns into behavior that barely needs a second thought over time. The habit transfers to a part of the brain that does automatic actions rather than conscious ones. This allows our brains to focus on other tasks that may require more brainpower while still performing a constant action.
How Can Habits Be Broken?
Breaking habits can often be harder than creating a pattern. Since our brain wires itself to align with our behaviors, changing directions can be difficult.
However, because of our brain’s ability to wire and rewire throughout our lifespan (neuroplasticity), it’s possible to rewire your brain and break unwanted habits. Our brains can change their physical structure and function based on the input of our experiences, behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. And that’s good news because we can consciously choose experiences, behaviors, emotions, and thoughts. We use this function from day one as babies when we learn how to eat and about the consequences of actions in adulthood.
Our brains can learn and change, so breaking habits is rewiring your brain circuit. We can re-train our brains to crave the healthy behaviors we want to achieve.
Habits With Negative Consequences
Often, habits that have negative consequences are formed as a coping mechanism to reduce stress or avoid negative feelings. Some coping mechanisms such as exercising when feeling stressed, seeking support from a friend, or journaling your thoughts can be positive techniques to help deal with your emotions. However, there are some mechanisms that are used that can become habits with negative consequences.
These habits are developed when we haven’t had any other option for coping with difficult feelings. They are often formed in childhood when our resources are limited. If we don’t have someone to help us with these difficult feelings, we will do whatever we have at hand to help us cope.
This can often include relying on alcohol, smoking, or drugs, unhealthy relationships, overworking, etc. The road to breaking the habit can feel extremely challenging, especially when we are trying to change the habit after the brain circuit has already been triggered. But when we know what fires the circuit and where the stuck starts, the steps to change the habit are often not all that difficult.
Alli works to find the root cause of your habits and change the behavior at its core, rather than trying to replace your current habit. Changing the habit itself may not work as it’s not targeting the root cause. When you can rebuild the foundation of your habit, it allows your brain to be rewired for long-term change.
What Are Strategies for Behavior Change?
Talking about breaking your habits can be one thing but following through on your behavior change is another. Identifying where the stuck starts and taking small, do-able steps will reroute the brain to a new pathway. As time progresses, the new habit will become easier until you don’t need to think about it anymore.
So, what are some ways to help change your behavior? You can use the following strategies to help break a habit and establish a new one.
1) Identify the Behavior You Want to Change
The first step is recognizing which behavior you’d like to change. Altering your action is not restricted to a good or bad habit. It can be perfecting a good habit or breaking a bad one.
Once you’ve identified which behavior you’d like to change, you can develop a plan on how you’ll change it. This can include setting a specific time to work out each day or what you will do to replace a bad habit.
2) Know Your Triggers
Bad habits are typically acted upon once you’ve gotten a bad feeling. This is usually where the stuck starts. For example, if you’re stressed, you could smoke or drink to relieve the feelings of stress. However, identifying the moments in which that feeling is triggered can help you learn to cope with the feeling in a healthy way or act positively. Changing one small thing when your behavior is triggered can give you new options and move you in a different direction from your old habit.
3) Replace Your Habits
When trying to change their habits, many people try to replace their undesired ones with something else, such as going from smoking to eating a healthy snack. And while changing the behavior can be helpful, you must find the root cause of your habit to make lasting change. If you target the behavior, it’s like trying to stop a runaway train. However, if you can set the tracks in the direction you want, you will end up with your desired behavior. Instead of replacing the behavior itself, you should replace your habit’s root cause and intention. Alli’s Rewire Your Habits course can help you identify the source and set your course for success if you’re unsure how to replace your habit.
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4) Learn a Healthy Coping Mechanism
Learning new, healthy ways to cope with difficult feelings or stressful situations can eliminate the need for an undesirable habit. This can include consulting with an expert or talking with a loved one. Others may turn to hobbies they enjoy, such as painting, reading, drawing, knitting, hiking, or working out, to help decompress their feelings, so it’s easier to confront them.
It’s important to ensure that the new habits you choose to follow allow you to confront your emotions and experiences healthily. It would be best if you did not use the new habits to avoid your feelings but rather allow yourself time and space to confront them. Most people need an outlet to help cope with their emotions and everyone chooses different methods.
5) Keep Track of Your Progress
Many people will journal to help them understand their habits and how well they stay on track with their goals. You can use several methods to keep track of your progress.
Utilizing a bullet journal or behavior tracker can help you stay on course. People often feel a sense of accomplishment by physically seeing a check mark next to a goal or task, reinforcing good behavior. This is a great way to see your progress and motivate you to continue performing positive actions.
6) Find a Community
Finding people who are trying to break the same habit can be beneficial. A community will help support your behavior change and keep you accountable for that change. It’s helpful knowing that other people face a similar struggle that you can go through together.
Alli offers a community space for you to work through the modules and utilize community discussion boards to talk with others about your experience. It gives you access to community resources and helps you feel connected to others, even through an online platform.
7) Take Care of Yourself
You’re more open to positive life changes when your needs are taken care of. You can see your value and feel motivated to keep on a positive path for yourself when you’re at your best. Creating a healthy diet and lifestyle will boost your serotonin levels and allow your brain to rest and function at optimal levels with the nutrients it needs. You can create a positive space to continue improving and break the habits that may be affecting your life.
8) Celebrate Each Victory
Often, we dismiss smaller tasks that we’ve accomplished since it isn’t completing the end goal. However, the small victories are just as important as the big ones. Celebrating each step allows you to recognize your progress and feel motivated to keep going.
It can also help you through tough times when you’ve faced a setback. Don’t focus on the setback, as it can make you feel bad and maybe return to old habits. Celebrate each victory you face, so you know how much work you’ve done to get where you are now.
How Can Alli Help Retrain Your Brain?
Alli is a platform that helps people achieve measurable changes in their behavior and discover a more fulfilling life. Our professional coaching, community support, and neuroscience-based courses can benefit you. The platform is backed by Carmen Morrison, a clinician, and owner of two thriving mental health enterprises and the founder of Alli.
Alli has a course called “Rewire Your Habits” led by a certified brain health professional. In this course, you can learn several helpful tools such as:
- The big benefits of small changes
- How to design a new habit
- How to stick with new habits
- How to conquer bad habits
- Build lifelong habits
At the core, Alli is a way to help you get unstuck and discover lasting change. Modern neuroscience reveals that people change best when they’re in a community with others, which is why support and a built-in community are integral to what we do. The platform offers a customized solution tailored to your goals, including courses and resources curated and facilitated by Alli’s expert team.
If you’re struggling to change your behavior by yourself or don’t know where to start, Alli can help you. Don’t wait to change the habits affecting your life. Take the first step in transforming your life.
Are you interested to see how Alli can help you change your behavior? Here’s how to get started:
- Join the Alliance membership. Try it out with a one-week trial!
- Talk with an expert coach. The first session is free.
- Take the Ultimate Brain Reset Intensive Course