The Science of Habit: Popular Habits vs. Popular Addictions

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Did you know that we spend half our lives in zombielike automation, carrying out routines we set up days, months, or even years ago? It’s a necessity – without some routine in our life, we would take far longer to do everything we need to do and we would grow tired far more quickly from the mental exertion. In many ways habits are actually necessary in our lives and provide our days with a fluid rhythm.

Unfortunately, we can also develop habits that are detrimental to our health. Over time these negative habits turn into full-force addictions, sustained by the satisfaction or feeling of being rewarded for completing these negative behaviors.

Kicking these negative habits or addictions and replacing them with positive habits is not easy – in fact, it’s downright exhausting. Quick and dirty negative habits are far easier to form than those that require more time, energy, and consistency. Try to start with small changes such as drinking water instead of having a snack between meals or chewing gum instead of smoking that cigarette. Whenever you feel your “trigger” – stomach is rumbling, time for food – try to replace your response to it with a healthier action – eat a salad, not a cookie. Understanding why you indulge in negative habits or addictions will help you to break away from these actions and become a better you.

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ScienceOfHabit

Source : 12 Palms Rehab

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