How easily habits can form, and how to break them
So while I had Covid, I spent a few days watching episodes of Lucifer on Netflix… Ok, maybe it was a few seasons! 😬
A week later, when I felt much better and had more important things to do, I STILL felt compelled to sit on the couch watch Lucifer at the end of the day…
A habit had formed - and in just a few days too!
I realised I was mentally and physiologically hooked on the chemistry that watching this show induced in me.
SIDE NOTE - Something else I'm hooked on at the moment is meditation first thing in the morning. Even when I was sick, the first thing I did when I got up was go to the balcony, wrap my blanket around me and set a timer for 15 minutes to meditate. I've been doing this everyday for the last 2 months and it's now so well entrained in my system, it's now a habit - one that anchors me and supports me through turbulent times!
BACK TO LUCIFER - it is a fun show, but I don't get much out of it in terms of the things I value right now, so, when I recognised what was happening - that this habit was taking hold of me - I decided to break the cycle.
It wasn’t too hard really, given that it was a relatively new habit AND I was now aware of it… but I still had to MAKE THAT DECISION, and for a few days, I had to make that decision again and again and again, going against the thoughts and feelings compelling me to sit down on the couch at the end of the day and turn on the TV.
It reminded me how it does take EFFORT to break patterns. And the longer a pattern or habit has been in place, the harder it can be to break it.
It also reminded me how easily WE CAN unconsciously and unintentionally GET HOOKED ON PEOPLE, PLACES AND SITUATIONS - because we get addicted to the chemistry, the mental and physiological response to that stimuli - that creates a habit or pattern of behaviour.
Think about something you do everyday - what's the trigger that makes you do the thing - the action, thought or behaviour - and what's the reward?
These habits or patterns of behaviour CAN BE USEFUL and lead us towards the relationships and success in life that we want, or they can be unresourceful and slow us down or stop us from having that life.
Patterns repeat… Until we become aware of them, and consciously decide to change something.
Patterns repeat… And we can harness the power of patterns by consciously putting effort into starting new habits into our lives… Until they become normal and effortless.
It's the collective impact of our habits over time, that makes them such a powerful influence on our lives and why becoming aware of them gives us so much more power to over our lives.
Think about the daily habits that have the potential to improve your physical health, the quality of your relationships, or your financial wealth.
What is one daily or weekly habit you can cultivate now, to bring you closer to the results you want?
Sometimes becoming aware of what habits and patterns are playing out in your life can be hard, because they’re so ingrained in your normal day to day reality that they are just “how things are”.
From this perspective, it's easy to think you can't change anything.
It takes a willingness to look at where your day to day habits are leading you, and decide if that future is one you really want. If not, it’s time to make some changes.
If you have tried to break a pattern or start a healthy practice but have come up against your own internal resistance, let things stop you, or self-sabotage, we can explore and release the unconscious emotional drivers behind this resistance in emotional clearing sessions. Get in touch with me to find out more.