Let’s talk about habits: good habits, bad habits. We all have them! The big question is how do we break a habit, especially when the behavior is so automatic we barely recognize we’re doing it? I’m glad to say, there’s a really great strategy for tackling this problem. In his book, The Power of Habit,
Charles Duhigg lays out a marvelously simple framework. There are three parts of the problem to explore: trigger, behavior, reward. It’s important to work the problem from all three angles. If you address these three components you will be on your way to breaking the old habit and creating a new one.
Trigger
The trigger is whatever is going on in the environment at the time you do the behavior. Is this a time of day, a person, a particular situation at work or home? Is there some way you could avoid the situation? Are there ways you could reframe or modify the circumstances that lead up to the moment when you do the habit? Even if you can’t change the trigger, identifying it is helpful, because now you have awareness about what might happen next.
Behavior
The habit is the behavior itself. I suggest coming up with alternative behaviors to do instead of what you typically do. Don’t just assume you will quit your habit without doing something else instead. The substitute needs to be something easy, accessible, and appropriate for the situation. And it must give you the same or equivalent reward as the old behavior.
Reward
The reward is the “why.” There must be some benefit, physical or emotional, that you are getting from the habit. If you simply remove the behavior, you won’t be satisfying that internal drive. You’ll be left wanting. Listen to your body, honor what you are feeling, and identify what your body is truly craving in that moment. Then think about other ways to satisfy that need.
The key to breaking a habit is understanding what your environmental trigger is, then coming up with an accessible substitute behavior that will satisfy your internal desire.
The last piece that I’ll add is to pause and give yourself some self-love. Breaking a habit takes thoughtful planning and lots of practice. Change doesn’t happen overnight, but with patience and perseverance you can break old habits and create new ones at the same time.
Dr. Bronwyn Fitz is double board-certified in Obstetrics and Gynecology and Integrative Medicine. To learn more about her practice or how to become a patient, schedule a free 15-minute discovery call. Click here to get started.