Day Five: In With the New

Negative, or self-defeating, habits are one of the first inner adversaries we encounter as we embark on a new program of self-care and positive living. It’s an age-old problem for humans that has more to do with how our brains function and less to do with character than one might imagine. To free ourselves from old patterns that are not useful, it is helpful to understand how habits are formed.

Learning a new activity requires attention and stimulates the executive center of the brain (the prefrontal cortex). Once certain activities are learned and do not require that same level of attention, they become automated and associated brain activity moves to the basil ganglia, what is called the reptilian or instinctual area of the brain. Once awareness of an activity is centered in and the directed by this automated functionality, its principal trigger is environment, not intention.

Sri Yukteswar, the guru of Paramahansa Yogananda, observed, “Environment is stronger than will power.” Established habits are triggered by environment. If we are tired, or otherwise off balance, we are likely to respond to the environmental trigger, even if we had previously intended to behave differently. So let’s look at how to support ourselves in making the changes we want to make.

1.  Wholeheartedly decide to make a change. Determine what it is that you want to do (the new behavior) besides what it is that you want to stop doing (the old habit). Determine a fixed period of time to let go of the old pattern and establish a new one that is consistent with your highest aspirations.

2.  Understanding how habits are formed, make necessary changes in your environment. Remove things, or remove yourself from situations, that can trigger old behaviors.

3.  Focus your attention on the new, positive, habit you are cultivating. Surround yourself with support. For example, to support a regular habit of daily meditation, locate your meditation space in a place that you can see, read a little inspirational material about the usefulness of meditation everyday, and keep a daily journal to record your reflections about meditation.

Think About It: A study reported in the European Journal of Social Psychology revealed that participants learning to form a new habit succeeded within 66 days. After that time, the value of repetition hit a plateau. Their findings also indicated that the initial, or early, practice of the activity made the greatest contribution overall as the reward for learning a new behavior is stronger at the onset.

Be Inspired: If you really want to rid yourself of present bad habits…you have no greater recourse than meditation. Every time you meditate deeply on God, beneficial changes take place in the patterns in your brain.
    –Paramahansa Yogananda