How mindfulness can help us change our habits

Mindfulness can be used to replace any habits with different ones that are better. This is one of the many benefits of mindfulness, and another important reason to practice it daily.

Are you aware of what you’re doing?

Imagine that you’re talking to a friend while at the same time pulling your phone out of your pocket. The ability to multitask is how our ancestors learned to survive in a world with many challenges. Because of this, modern human beings are able to do many things without being fully aware of them. This is called the brain’s habit system, and all of us have it.

Have you ever paid attention to your muscle movements while you’re walking? Probably not, because activities like walking and cycling, once learnt, are performed with absolute ease, and without having to pay attention to them, because of the brain’s habit system.

However, this has also led to human beings performing many actions without being fully aware of them. In fact, probably most things are done out of habit.

How much of your life is based on habit?

When we do something for the first time, such as learning to drive, we pay attention to each and every aspect of the experience so as to not make any mistakes. But once we get used to driving, everything about it is performed subconsciously. Even glancing in the rear-view mirror, while important, becomes a semi-conscious act.

We may choose how fast the car should go, and which turn to take, but that’s about it. In fact, until we come across an extraordinary circumstance like a pedestrian stepping into the path of our car, we’re usually only partially conscious about what we’re doing.

Recognizing our habits requires effort

Mindfulness is a practice that encourages us to be more aware of what we’re doing, along with what’s happening to us, all in the present moment.

This, of course, is easier said than done. We often forget to pay attention to what we’re doing all the time. Hence, people are more likely to jump back into old habits, especially when they’re exhausted.

Because habits are automatic, they require less focus, and therefore less energy or resources from the brain. Due of this, being consciously aware of everything in the present moment is very difficult to maintain at all times.

But the moments when we are consciously awake present to us a brief opportunity to recognize our current habits, and to start transforming them into newer, better ones. And this is exactly what mindfulness helps us to do.

Learning to turn off the autopilot

When we do something out of habit, we might think that we’re in control but actually we are not. And this isn’t limited to actions or reflexes – it also applies to habitual patterns of thoughts and emotions.

A habit then, is an established pattern of movements, thoughts, or feelings that have been practiced and optimized to take place without conscious effort or energy. It’s like driving on autopilot.

Sometimes, it’s better to come to terms with this autopilot, and to trust our habits, rather than controlling them consciously.

But if we want to change our habits, we need to make a conscious effort to turn off the autopilot, and have a closer look at our habits on a regular basis. That will help us to change them if they don’t serve us well.

Using mindfulness to change our habits

Knowing our bad habits is the first step towards changing them, or replacing them completely. So, try to notice what you do by practicing mindfulness in your daily life.

Take note of the things you do, and pay close attention to how they make you feel, both at the moment you are doing them, as well as afterwards. After getting to know a habit, especially if it’s a bad habit, try to find out what triggered it.

Triggers can be as simple as the time of the day. For example, most of us have automatic behaviors we perform in the morning, or in the evening. So, next time you get ready for sleep, try to enter a state of mindfulness and observe what you do during this time. You may come across habits that you didn’t realize you have.

Being with certain people can also trigger our habits. Perhaps we become accustomed to doing something, subconsciously, when we’re with a particular person.

Once you’ve identified the triggers behind your habit, be aware and mindful when the trigger is present, and consciously choose a different behavior.

This can be quite hard at first, and usually needs a lot of effort and repetition. After all, you may be trying to change behaviors that have been wired into your brain by years of repeating them. So, instead of simply trying to stop a behavior that you don’t like, aim to replace it with another, more positive one.