The Secrets to Breaking Habits

The first of the secrets to breaking habits is to understand that habits are just a formula. Therefore, to break a habit, you need to create another formula.

Habits are formed and broken through automatic actions. Additionally, research shows that habits have three main traits:

     1. We are not fully aware when performing habits.

Like, when you check your phone for a weather update, and you find yourself scrolling dog videos. Or, when you drive to work without noticing the journey. Our lives are filled with unconscious habits.

     2. Habits lack emotion. We lose interest in them.

Think about how exciting a new hobby or role at work can be. Now think about how quickly this becomes a chore. It takes two weeks to lose interest in a new habit, according to research!

     3. Habits are tied to specific situations.

We tend to do the same thing in familiar contexts. What do you do when you finish work, for example? Do you always take the same route home?

Change your routine

Changing your surroundings or routine is one of the secrets to breaking habits​. For instance, it was easier for some people to exercise at the beginning of the year due to the change in their daily routine.

Can you think of a time when your life changed, and it made it easier for you to exercise or practice healthy habits?

Without familiar cues, our autopilot doesn’t run so easily, and our conscious mind keeps asking us,

So, disrupting autopilot is one of the secrets to breaking the habit of​ comfort eating or any other unwanted habit.

For more secrets to breaking habits, listen to one of my most popular podcasts ​here​: The Secret to Breaking Habits

Work with Shelley Treacher of Bristol Counselling, a specialist in helping you to break the habit of binge eating or call me direct on 07702 188676 for help or a free initial consultation.