Run, Habit, Run
"Sitting on the bed, or lying wide awake, there's demons in my head and it's more than I can take. I think I'm on a roll, but I think it's kinda weak. Saying all I know is I gotta get away from me."
Before we begin, I'd like you all to go and read this.
Done? All good. Now you too know how to break a habit.
Or maybe not. I'm in a good position to be able to take issue with this what's written in that WikiHow, so - true to form - that's exactly what I'm going to do. Let us rock:
Your brain does not process negative thoughts.
What? WHAT? That makes no sense. How can your brain not process negative thoughts? If that was the case, nobody, when given the choice between doing and not doing something, would ever choose the latter. If somebody put a gun in your hand and then pointed it at somebody's head, you'd shoot them every time.
Habits are learned mental reflexes to specific stimuli in the environment. It’s reflex because you’ve done it so long that your mind no longer thinks about doing the habit, you just do it (like breathing.)
No, it's not like breathing. Breathing is not a habit, it's a biological imperative. Either you're very stupid, or you really need to think about your sentence construction. Possibly both.
It takes 30 days to form a pattern and 90 days to form a habit.
I loathe statements like this. Who says it takes 30 days to form a pattern and 90 days to form a habit? On what basis do they say it? Where's the evidence? And even if you can produce it, there are massive generalisations here that need qualifying.
1. You should know what triggers your habit. You approach a situation where your habit will be triggered, watch what you do every step. When you get the urge to perform your habit, don’t! And don’t think about not doing the habit either, just continue on.
2. Do not think about the habit, move on to something else. Do not tell yourself that “you’re not going to do the habit�? that translates into “your going to do the habit�?! Watch what you think, make sure you don’t start having negative self talk.
This is just babble. It's impossible to think about not thinking about something. Think about it. Or don't think about it. Or don't think about not thinking about it. The end result is the same in all three cases. And don't even get me started on 'negative self talk'.
At first you’ll have problems catching yourself, but as time goes on (and you avoid the negative self talk) it’ll get easer. By 90days you’ll have forgotten that you even used to have the habit. If you set a reminder in 90days you’ll look back and think “Oh yea I used to do that didn’t I?�?
As in: "Oh yeah, I used to talk utter bollocks and overpunctuate to an alarming extent, but ever since I taught myself to not think about not thinking about something and learned to avoid the horrors of negative self talk..."
You break a habit by consistently and deliberately not indulging that habit until such time as it is no longer a habit. End of story.
Before we begin, I'd like you all to go and read this.
Done? All good. Now you too know how to break a habit.
Or maybe not. I'm in a good position to be able to take issue with this what's written in that WikiHow, so - true to form - that's exactly what I'm going to do. Let us rock:
Your brain does not process negative thoughts.
What? WHAT? That makes no sense. How can your brain not process negative thoughts? If that was the case, nobody, when given the choice between doing and not doing something, would ever choose the latter. If somebody put a gun in your hand and then pointed it at somebody's head, you'd shoot them every time.
Habits are learned mental reflexes to specific stimuli in the environment. It’s reflex because you’ve done it so long that your mind no longer thinks about doing the habit, you just do it (like breathing.)
No, it's not like breathing. Breathing is not a habit, it's a biological imperative. Either you're very stupid, or you really need to think about your sentence construction. Possibly both.
It takes 30 days to form a pattern and 90 days to form a habit.
I loathe statements like this. Who says it takes 30 days to form a pattern and 90 days to form a habit? On what basis do they say it? Where's the evidence? And even if you can produce it, there are massive generalisations here that need qualifying.
1. You should know what triggers your habit. You approach a situation where your habit will be triggered, watch what you do every step. When you get the urge to perform your habit, don’t! And don’t think about not doing the habit either, just continue on.
2. Do not think about the habit, move on to something else. Do not tell yourself that “you’re not going to do the habit�? that translates into “your going to do the habit�?! Watch what you think, make sure you don’t start having negative self talk.
This is just babble. It's impossible to think about not thinking about something. Think about it. Or don't think about it. Or don't think about not thinking about it. The end result is the same in all three cases. And don't even get me started on 'negative self talk'.
At first you’ll have problems catching yourself, but as time goes on (and you avoid the negative self talk) it’ll get easer. By 90days you’ll have forgotten that you even used to have the habit. If you set a reminder in 90days you’ll look back and think “Oh yea I used to do that didn’t I?�?
As in: "Oh yeah, I used to talk utter bollocks and overpunctuate to an alarming extent, but ever since I taught myself to not think about not thinking about something and learned to avoid the horrors of negative self talk..."
You break a habit by consistently and deliberately not indulging that habit until such time as it is no longer a habit. End of story.
posted by Michael at 6:25 PM
4 Comments:
Bingo springs to mind there, Mikey. I didn't have to 'not think about thinking about not smoking' to give up smoking. I just stopped and didn't smoke any more. Saves money and typewriter ribbon
"You break a habit by consistently and deliberately not indulging that habit until such time as it is no longer a habit. End of story."
Erm..... yes, that's what it says. That piece doesn't actually contradict anything anyone has said on this comments page. of course it's simplistic and generalised - how else could it claim to be applicable to anyone and any habit?
However, about the negative talk business: If you sit there and say to yourself "I'm not going to do this", you are still focusing and putting energy into that action. If you say "I'm going to do this (i.e. something other than the habit)", you are more likely to break the habit. It has been proven. I'll find some scientific evidence somewhere if you want it.
"You break a habit by consistently and deliberately not indulging that habit until such time as it is no longer a habit. End of story."
Erm..... yes, that's what it says. That piece doesn't actually contradict anything anyone has said on this comments page. of course it's simplistic and generalised - how else could it claim to be applicable to anyone and any habit?
However, about the negative talk business: If you sit there and say to yourself "I'm not going to do this", you are still focusing and putting energy into that action. If you say "I'm going to do this (i.e. something other than the habit)", you are more likely to break the habit. It has been proven. I'll find some scientific evidence somewhere if you want it.
Trust me, I'm training to be a life coach.......
If your last few sentences sum up that Wiki, I'll suck my face into my mouth and eat it. What you said makes some kind of sense, what that page says does not.
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