LOOKING TO MAKE A CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE?...A mindfulness-based approach to habit change can improve...
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Sources: Duhigg, Charles. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. Random House. hps://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resoluons-heres-how-they-did-it/#6a3b2a30596b hps://go.roberts.edu/leadingedge/the-great-choices-of-strategic-leaders Evans, J. S. B., & Stanovich, K. E. (2013). Dual-process theories of higher cognion: Advancing the debate. Perspecves on psychological science, 8(3), 223-241. Wood, W., Quinn, J. M., & Kashy, D. A. (2002). Habits in everyday life: Thought, emoon, and acon. Journal of personality and social psychology, 83(6), 1281. Wood, W., & Neal, D. T. (2007). A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface. Psychological review, 114(4), 843. Breines, J. G., & Chen, S. (2012). Self-compassion increases self-improvement movaon. Personality and Social Psychology Bullen, 38(9), 1133-1143. Sirois, F. M., Kitner, R., & Hirsch, J. K. (2015). Self-compassion, affect, and health-promong behaviors. Health Psychology, 34(6), 661. www.sigmamindful.com | 1 800 265 1285 When we form a habit, neural pathways are created, strengthened, and solidified over me. This process allows us to automate our behavior such that we are literally able to do things without thinking about them. This can be useful when we are talking about behavior that supports well-being and performance, but detrimental when it comes to behaviors that compromise our health and effecveness. Whether you are trying to establish a habit that will support your well-being or “break a bad habit”, the following simple steps can help. LOOKING TO MAKE A CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE? Habit change can be difficult but a few important steps can help you succeed. Create a sense of urgency around change: • what are the benefits of changing? • what are the drawbacks of maintaining the status quo? Set yourself up for success: • start small - don’t try to take on too many changes at once or set unrealisc goals • make sure you are in a good place to make changes - it is difficult to change habits when we are depleted (e.g., not geng enough sleep), or experiencing other significant life changes (e.g., change of job, move) • write down the habit you’re going to change and your new habit • leverage the power of social support by telling others that you are changing your behavior • modify your environment to support the kinds of changes you want to make • prepare for challenges like me pressure, stress, difficult people, your triggers Be kind to yourself: • changing habits take me and paence • when you experience a set-back or challenge, be kind to yourself • research demonstrates being kind versus crical is more movang and enhances your ability to get back on track with your new behavior HOW: The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighng the old, but on building the new. – Socrates of our behavior each day is habitual, meaning it’s not done with awareness or intent 45 % A mindfulness-based approach to habit change can improve the quality of these decisions. Harness the power of the habit loop: Use mindfulness to guide the process • new habits that we want to enact can replace old habits that don’t serve us • examples include exercising instead of sleeping in, focusing on your work instead of surfing the Internet, and choosing healthier menu opons • overriding old habits takes effort, but is less efforul than starng an enrely new habit loop Using mindfulness to pay aenon to our feelings, environment, and reacons can help us idenfy and describe our exisng habit loops. Unl we understand what cue triggers a behavior, and what reward sustains that behavior, it is difficult to change our habits. When you feel the urge to engage in a behavior you’re trying to break or change, consider: what has just happened? What is movang me to want to engage in this behavior? What do I expect will happen as a result? Use this awareness as an opportunity to examine your behavior, and, perhaps, choose to engage in a more healthy or producve acon instead. IDENTIFY AND DISRUPT YOUR HABIT LOOP CUE: What triggers your behavior/habit? REWARD: What do you get from engaging in this behavior? HABIT: What do you do?
Transcript of LOOKING TO MAKE A CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE?...A mindfulness-based approach to habit change can improve...
Sources:
Duhigg, Charles. (2012). The power of habit: Why we do what we do in life and business. Random House.
https://www.forbes.com/sites/dandiamond/2013/01/01/just-8-of-people-achieve-their-new-years-resolutions-heres-how-they-did-it/#6a3b2a30596b
https://go.roberts.edu/leadingedge/the-great-choices-of-strategic-leaders
Evans, J. S. B., & Stanovich, K. E. (2013). Dual-process theories of higher cognition: Advancing the debate. Perspectives on psychological science, 8(3), 223-241.
Wood, W., Quinn, J. M., & Kashy, D. A. (2002). Habits in everyday life: Thought, emotion, and action. Journal of personality and social psychology, 83(6), 1281.
Wood, W., & Neal, D. T. (2007). A new look at habits and the habit-goal interface. Psychological review, 114(4), 843.
Breines, J. G., & Chen, S. (2012). Self-compassion increases self-improvement motivation. Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin, 38(9), 1133-1143.
Sirois, F. M., Kitner, R., & Hirsch, J. K. (2015). Self-compassion, affect, and health-promoting behaviors. Health Psychology, 34(6), 661.
www.sigmamindful.com | 1 800 265 1285
When we form a habit, neural pathways are created, strengthened, and solidified over time. This process allows us to automate our behavior such that we are literally able to do things without thinking about them. This can be useful when we are talking about behavior that supports well-being and performance, but detrimental when it comes to behaviors that compromise our health and effectiveness. Whether you are trying to establish a habit that will support your well-being or “break a bad habit”, the
following simple steps can help.
LOOKING TO MAKE A CHANGE IN YOUR LIFE?
Habit change can be difficult but a few important steps can help you succeed.
Create a sense of urgency around change:
• what are the benefits of changing?
• what are the drawbacks of maintaining the status quo?
Set yourself up for success:
• start small - don’t try to take on too many changes at once or set unrealistic goals
• make sure you are in a good place to make changes - it is difficult to change habits when we are depleted (e.g., not getting enough sleep), or experiencing other significant life changes (e.g., change of job, move)
• write down the habit you’re going to change and your new habit
• leverage the power of social support by telling others that you are changing your behavior
• modify your environment to support the kinds of changes you want to make
• prepare for challenges like time pressure, stress, difficult people, your triggers
Be kind to yourself:
• changing habits take time and patience
• when you experience a set-back or challenge, be kind to yourself
• research demonstrates being kind versus critical is more motivating and enhances your ability to get back on track with your new behavior
HOW:
The secret of change is to focus all of your energy, not on fighting the old, but on building the new.
– Socrates
of our behavior each day is habitual, meaning it’s not done with awareness or intent45%
A mindfulness-based approach to habit change can improve the quality of these decisions.
Harness the power of the habit loop:
Use mindfulness to guide the process
• new habits that we want to enact can replace old habits that don’t serve us
• examples include exercising instead of sleeping in, focusing on your work instead of surfing the Internet, and choosing healthier menu options
• overriding old habits takes effort, but is less effortful than starting an entirely new habit loop
Using mindfulness to pay attention to our feelings, environment, and reactions can help us identify and describe our existing habit loops. Until we understand what cue triggers a behavior, and what reward sustains that behavior, it is difficult to change our habits.When you feel the urge to engage in a behavior you’re trying to break or change, consider: what has just happened?What is motivating me to want to engage in this behavior? What do I expect will happen as a result? Use this awareness as an opportunity to examine your behavior, and, perhaps, choose to engage in a more healthy or productive action instead.
IDENTIFY AND DISRUPT YOUR HABIT
LOOP
CUE:What triggers your
behavior/habit?
REWARD: What do you get from
engaging in this behavior?
HABIT: What do you do?
