Change habits: brain researcher reveals how to implement resolutions


Finally quit smoking and drink less: resolutions are made quickly – but implementation is often difficult. A brain researcher explains which tricks are needed to achieve your goals this time.

Maria Orlova / Pexels

Published

January is the high season of good intentions. The brain researcher Dr. Anjali Raja Beharelle explains how to create sustainable new routines.

In the second week of the year, New Year’s resolutions often seem a long way off. We worked with neuroscientist Dr. Anjali Raja Beharelle talked about good and bad habits and why strength of will alone does not decide whether we can change our lives.

Endless social media scrolling, smoking, pressing the snooze button: Why is it so difficult for many to break annoying habits and create new routines?

So-called bad Habits can be formed much more easily because the reward is very short-term and immediate. Checking social media gives you a quick dopamine rush, which means that we keep looking for that kick. In the long term, however, there is a risk of a shorter attention span and increased nervousness.

They work exactly the other way around. Getting up immediately when the alarm goes off is tough, but afterwards you have more time to start the day – which makes you happier in the long term.

How do you manage to develop good habits?

One should make the change in behavior as easy as possible, remove obstacles and not get lost in huge demands. Before you go to sleep, get your clothes ready for exercise and ask coworkers if they want to go jogging. Involving the social environment can serve as a support. The second important point is to reward yourself. Make it a ritual for yourself to listen to the latest episode of your favorite podcast while jogging, or to treat yourself to a smoothie afterwards. Conversely, you can create obstacles for yourself instead of breaking them down with habits that you want to break off: banish the TV from the bedroom to avoid zapping for hours and don’t even buy sweets if you want to snack less.

Neuroscientist Dr.  Anjali Raja Beharelle explores how routines determine our lives, how we construct new ones and get rid of old ones.

Neuroscientist Dr. Anjali Raja Beharelle explores how routines determine our lives, how we construct new ones and get rid of old ones.

Tobias Stahel

Why do we need habits?

Routines give stability and security. They keep our backs free and save energy for more complex issues. We can only have a conversation on the bike because the habit system handles all other processes automatically. We get on our bikes and our body knows how cycling works without us having to think about it.

Every beginning is difficult - it takes time until habits are automated.

Every beginning is difficult – it takes time until habits are automated.

Jessica Lewis / Pexels

There are people who train for a marathon and learn a new language when they tackle it. What do strong-willed people do differently?

Strong-willed people are not superheroes. But they have one advantage: they are better able to avoid temptation and thus prevent old behavior patterns from being resumed. A strong-willed person knows that it will be more difficult to give up a cigarette if he stands with the smokers on the terrace.

The pandemic can be an opportunity for new behaviors

Dr. Anjali Raja Beharelle

The pandemic has completely messed up the everyday lives of many people. Is it even worth trying to train new routines now?

Research has shown that new habits are best changed with a change of environment. People who move suddenly feel like walking to work or reading books more often in a new armchair. The pandemic therefore has advantages: a lot is new, structures are breaking open. This unsettles you, but it can be an opportunity for new behaviors. Cooking a fine lunch in the home office is easier than resisting the hearty meal in the canteen.

Big changes such as home office can facilitate the establishment of new habits.

Big changes such as home office can facilitate the establishment of new habits.

Marta Wave / Pexels

Going to yoga for five weeks and suddenly stopping in the sixth week. Why is this pattern so common?

Often one does not fully perceive what is actually necessary for the habit. The 60 minutes of yoga alone are not enough. Maybe it’s a long way to the studio after work and you don’t come home until late for dinner. That is why it is so important to make the circumstances for learning new habits as easy as possible. Maybe another studio or another time would be better? Or the reward is missing, for example a warm bathtub whenever you have been to yoga.

Maybe you just don’t like the habit?

Exactly, that can also be a reason. I took cold showers every morning for a year and recently stopped. I just love hot showers too much! It is important to be clear about the motivation behind the decision to change behavior: your own well-being or unnecessary pressure?

Have you already worked off bad habits?

I installed a black and white filter on my cell phone. Since then, I haven’t been so interested in social media. I also snack less because I keep track of what I eat. That makes reaching for the chocolate a little more tedious (laughs). So I built up obstacles for myself until at some point the desire subsides on its own.

If you could give one last tip on how to finally build more sustainable routines in life: What would you give our readers?

Neurological research has shown that temporal anchors are an efficient way of building habits. Set an alarm clock, for example every Friday at 8 p.m. It is also helpful when the time is not always the same. If you’ve done a short workout by then, you can look forward to a movie or some other reward. Be creative and deal with your resolutions in a playful way!

Anjali Raja Beharelle is a co-founder of Collabree. The app helps to establish healthy habits in order to adhere to therapy plans and is free in the App Store and Google Play under the name Collabree available.

Do you have a tip for building new routines?

As a member, you become part of the 20-minute community and benefit from great benefits and exclusive competitions every day!





Source link -71