As you know I'm all about breaking habits, stopping doing things. But how do you start a new habit?
Well let's think about the logic. To break a habit we need to break a connection. Think of the things you do, automatically, without thinking about it. For example having a biscuit with a cup of tea or a cigarette with a coffee. Every time! You don't think about - you've done it before you think about it.
You get in a car and drive it. What do you do first? Next? Are you sure? The pattern is that one thing happens then the next, then the next. You don't have to think about it anymore because you've programmed yourself.
If you practise something enough times it will become a habit. Research tells us it is 21 times. So after 21 times the habit is established.
But what about the first 21 times? How can you remember when something isn't yet a habit? How can you form a new habit?
Well go back to the beginning. Our minds make connections. Everytime this happens I do this. Every time. There's a trigger effect.
So to start a new habit we need to link it to something else that we already do. Something we always do. Without thinking about it!
Would you like to start exercising? What do you do every day already? You get out of bed. So how about putting your trainers by the bed and stepping straight into them when you get up?
I have a joke. It's a weak joke I know but I quite like it! Have you heard of kettle bells? Those weights in the shape of a very old fashioned kettle? Do you know why they are called kettle bells (they certainly don't resemble today's modern kettles!) Here's the joke: because you keep them by the kettle!!! OK I know it's not that funny but if you did keep some weights by the kettle you could lift them a few times everytime you put the kettle on. You wouldn't forget because they'd be there. Waiting for you.
If you do have a tendency towards putting the kettle on quite often then the kettle is an ideal trigger. Do you need to drink more water? Every time you put the kettle on have a glassof water.
A lot of my clients come to me because the have a habit they want to break. A common one is opening a bottle of wine or beer when they get home from work. Get home. Take off shoes. Open bottle. So if you want to exercise more maybe change it to get home, take off shoes, run up and down stairs twice. Or get home, take off shoes, drink water.
I'm simplifying here but I think you'll get the idea!
To develop a new habit:
1. Choose something you want to do regularly.
2. Choose something you already do regularly.
3. Link the thing you want to do to the thing you already do.
4. Continue for 21 days/times and notice if you're then doing the new habits without noticing!
Of course to break a habit:
1. Call me
2. Come for a session of NLP and Hypnosis
3. Break the Habit
4. Help yourself by putting a positive new habit in place of the old negative habit.
Remember my new number 0113 834 5424
Back to www.breakthehabit.co.uk
