Here’s an interesting way to determine WHY you engage in a repetitive habit, like oh say pop to the shop for a bit of a dark chocolate hit (not that I know anyone with that bad habit). Rewards like chocolate are super powerful because they satisfy cravings but the thing is we are often not aware of why we have the craving in the first place. So try this… When you feel the next urge to go for that little indulgence, immediately write down three things you are feeling. It doesn’t matter what they are; literally just the first three random thoughts that come up. Post them up. Do this for several days. At first you may or may not see any commonality amongst the words but after a while you just may see a pattern forming. And there’s more than one reason to do this. Not only will you start to see the repetitive feelings that emerges, but you will also do something much more important – you will force a moment of mindfulness. It will become easier to not only remember what you were feeling at the time, but you will also be able to connect the WHY to the habit. This has really helped me when I want to change a habit.
Post-It Emotional Brain thoughts to recognise a habit pattern
