Creating behaviour change can be a challenging task, especially when you are trying to adopt new habits or break old ones. Habits are the small, automatic actions that we perform daily, often without even thinking about them. However, the habits we form can greatly impact our lives and can help us towards achieving our goals. This is why building habits is so important in creating behaviour change – our actions will ideally become automatic in the positive sense, making behaviour change that much simpler to achieve.
Habits are powerful because they are deeply ingrained in our minds and bodies. They can help us achieve our goals by making certain actions second nature. For example, if you want to improve your fitness level, developing a habit of exercising every day can make it easier to stick to your routine. Once the habit is formed, it becomes easier to maintain and you are more likely to continue to exercise regularly.
Building habits is also important because it allows us to conserve mental energy. Our brains are wired to conserve energy, and forming habits is one way to do that. When we establish habits, we no longer have to think about the actions we want to take; we just do them automatically. This frees up mental space and energy to focus on other tasks, goals, or decisions.
Moreover, habits are also important in creating behaviour change because they provide a sense of structure and routine. When we have a consistent routine, we are more likely to stick to our goals. This is because habits help us to establish a pattern of behaviour, which in turn helps to keep us on track.
However, building habits is not always easy. It takes time and effort to establish new habits and break old ones. It is important to start small and focus on one habit at a time. This allows us to build momentum and increases the likelihood of success. We should also be patient and forgiving with ourselves when we slip up. It is important to remember that forming a new habit is a process, and it takes time to see results.
One of the methods that we encourage with our clients at EP360 is to replace an undesirable behaviour with a desirable one. What this means in practice is that we don’t remove a habit completely, we just replace one that we are not happy with a better one and one that you know will help you towards your goal.
In conclusion, building habits is crucial in creating behaviour change. Habits help to make certain actions second nature, conserve mental energy, provide structure and routine, and ultimately help us to achieve our goals. While building habits can be challenging, the rewards are well worth the effort. By starting small, being patient and forgiving, and focusing on one habit at a time, we can successfully build new habits and create positive changes in our lives.
