(gentle music)
- [Amanda] Hey, Psycho2Goers.
Welcome back to another video.
Thanks so much for being here.
With your help and support,
we're able to succeed in our mission
to make mental health and psychology
more accessible to everyone.
So, thank you.
Now let's continue.
Many of you liked our previous video
on habits that can damage your brain,
so we made this as a followup video.
Do you have a bad habit
that you want to change for yourself?
Sometimes habits can sneak up on you.
What started as a momentary slip-up
has now become a part of your established routine.
Bad habits are more difficult to break
because they become hardwired in your brain.
Neuroscientists have found that for a habit to stick,
it goes through a three part psychological pattern
called a habit loop.
The first step is the trigger,
which prompts your brain to execute the behavior.
The next step is the behavior itself.
And the third step is a reward,
which encourages you
to repeat that behavior in the future.
Luckily, habits can change.
So here are a few ways to get rid of your bad habits
and make better choices.
Number one, identify the habit's structure.
Do you know what your bad habit is?
If so, that's good.
If not, then feel free to check out
our video mentioned in the intro.
The first step in changing a bad habit
is to properly identify it.
Maybe you have a bad habit
of biting your fingernails
or eating too much junk food.
Even though these things
are a self coping mechanism triggered by emotion,
it may now be an unconscious habit of yours.
Some problematic behaviors
can become so ingrained
that you no longer see them as a habit,
and that's okay.
You do have the power to change those habits.
Try reaching for a bottle of water
or a handful of pretzels
instead of sugary or fatty foods,
or paint your nails
when you get the urge to bite them.
This serves as a distraction
and can also help you feel better
by doing something nice for yourself.
Number two, find the triggers.
Now that you know what you want to work on,
figure out what triggers
that bad habit to kick up.
Is it a routine response to your emotions,
to your environment,
or a particular situation?
Typically, triggers will fall
into one of these five categories.
Place, time, emotional state,
other people, and proceeding actions.
Under what kind of circumstances
do you usually engage in your bad habit?
If you have a habit
of having the TV on while you study
and that's become distracting for you,
change the study location
or move the TV out of the room.
If you feel like your trigger is emotional,
take a second to assess
what you're feeling at that moment.
Reach out to someone you trust
who can help you handle your emotions
that you're feeling,
or try to remove yourself from the environment
that's triggering those emotions.
When you're able to identify your triggers,
this helps prevent you
from going into habitual autopilot.
Number three, eliminate the reward.
That third step in developing a habit
is the reward associated with it.
Habits can also develop
when good or enjoyable events
trigger the brain's reward centers,
releasing dopamine.
And this is what makes bad habits so hard to break.
You can override the reward center
by penalizing the habit
and rewarding yourself
every time you do not engage in it.
If you're someone who eats sweets
whenever you're stressed,
you can replace eating sugary foods
with a brisk walk outside
to more effectively deal with the stress instead.
When you get back home,
treat yourself to a healthy fruit smoothie.
It's a way to reward yourself
for not eating the sweets
and it's a healthier choice for you overall.
Number four, take baby steps.
Eliminating a bad habit
does not happen overnight.
It takes patience and consistency.
Remember to take baby steps,
break down the habit into small doable behaviors.
For example, if you have a habit
of sitting on the couch at dinner time,
maybe make a habit of cleaning off
the dining room table
so you can eat there instead.
Not only will you feel good
that you cleaned and got something done,
but it will make it easier
for you to achieve your goal
of sitting down for dinner at the dinner table.
When you make these small positive behavioral changes,
it will keep you motivated
and inspired to keep trying all together.
Number five, change the environment.
Psychologists believe that your environment
plays an essential role
in the habit formation process
because it provides you with cues
on how you should behave.
So if you're having trouble
getting rid of a bad habit,
try to change the environment.
According to Charles Duhigg,
author of "The Power of Habit,"
the best time to change a bad habit
is during vacation.
A vacation takes you out of your regular environment,
changes your daily routine,
and eliminates your established environmental cues.
Next time you're on vacation,
take advantage of that time
to try and replace a bad habit of yours.
And number six, find a substitute.
Do you know that you don't technically
get rid of a bad habit?
You actually replace it.
In getting over a bad habit,
you normally have to develop
a better alternative to choose from
instead of that bad habit.
For example, if you know
certain social situations stress you out
and subsequently lead you to drink too much,
go out with a friend who can keep you accountable
or stick to drinking mocktails.
Make a list and visualize the new behavior
you hope to engage in.
Use a prompt or enlist the help of a friend
if you feel you need it.
creating a plan will help you
identify the bad habit
and react faster when the urge
happens to creep up on you.
Replacing your bad habits with better ones is not easy.
It's a process that takes time.
Remember to be kind and compassionate to yourself
throughout the process,
and go in with a plan.
Do you think any of these tips
will help you to change your bad habits?
What are some of your bad habits?
Tell us down below.
If you have anything encouraging to share
with our fellows Psych2Goers
who are struggling with this,
feel free to share them down below too.
And please like and share this video
if it helped you,
and you think it could help someone else too.
The studies and references used
are listed in the description below,
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for more Psych2Go videos.
Thank you for watching
and we'll see you next time.