Hello Veterinary Friends!
Ever since I read Atomic Habits by James Clear I have been obsessed with habits - those daily rituals and choices that we make over and over again that provide the framework of our life and determine our level of success or failure.
There are the beneficial habits that support your growth and wellbeing, and there are bad habits that keep you stuck or cause your harsh inner critic to harass you. The quirkiest thing about humans is that even though we *know* these habits are 'bad', we still engage in them because in the moment they either feel good, they are meeting a need, or they are a go-to coping skill. Let's talk about why we do this, and what we could do instead.
What is a Habit?
Most of the decisions you make on a daily basis are not the product of intentional actions, but the result of habit. This is normal for the brain to do this because it conserves the brain both energy and time. Our brains are wired to always find the path of least resistance. It's biology, baby.
Habits are formed when we perform an action or thought repeatedly. Over time, the action, thought, or feeling moves out of the conscious realm and because automatic, requiring less attention, effort, or motivation to execute. This is evolution in action, and part of what makes our nervous system so efficient.
In his book, Clear tells us that all habits, whether good or bad, are based on the same three-phase cycle:
The reminder or cue: the stimulus that initiates the behavior — you wake up ➡️ you turn on your phone ➡️ you check email/scroll social/read the news
The routine: the action itself is performed
The reward: the good feeling you receive when or after performing the action - aka dopamine hit. AHHHHH FEELS GOOD.
Our brain establishes connections between neurons and over time the connections get thicker the more times the cycle is repeated. The cycle becomes automatic, the three phases intertwine, and a strong sense of anticipation and traction develops, creating a habit. If the habit is beneficial, it improves your daily life. If it is bad, it endangers your health, finances, and happiness.
Since habits allow the brain to rest more and avoid engaging in repetitive actions, it is interested in making more habits. And although you can turn almost any behavior into a habit, it is not equally easy to convert all behaviors to habits. This is due to the underlying biology of habit formation (which Clear goes over extensively in his book): some habits can be formed easily and quickly, other habits require substantial time and repetition.
Note that while both good and bad habits are stimulated by the brain splash of dopamine, sometimes it take longer to get the dopamine hit with good habits, because sometimes they aren't 'fun'.
Basically, bad habits are easy to form mostly because they are rapidly reinforced. Good habits, on the other hand, generally are reinforced only much later. Dammit.
For example:
I see a bag of Nerd Gummy Clusters (stimulus) so I buy it, eat the whole thing (action), and bathe in an immediate splash of dopamine (reward). Then my harsh inner critic berates me later, nullifying the good feeling eating the candy gave me. Thanks, brain.
Conversly, I want to increase my fitness (stimulus) so I go to the gym and workout (action) but afterwards my body still looks the same (no immediate reward, no dopamine). In this example, I need some immediate, external positive reinforcement to keep going, so I sign up for a fun fitness class and make friends there (yeah dopamine!).
When you break it down into the science, you realize that training your brain isn't that much different than training a dog's brain. Stimulus - response - brain chemicals. But dogs are lucky...no harsh inner critic.
3 Easy Ways to Build Good Habits. No...Really.
Building good habits ultimately comes down to choice, but there are ways to hack the process.
External reinforcement: We've already mentioned external reinforcers in the section above. Imagine the good habit you want to create, and then decide what immediate reward you can create for executing the behavior. This reward can be anything you want but it needs to feel reinforcing to YOU to condition the new positive habit. This rimmediately einforces a positive behavior that would normally take time to feel rewarding.
Internal reinforcement: This includes constructive self talk and visualization. Internal reinforcement is really helpful for building habits such as healthy nutrition, exercise, sleep, and financial wellness. Successful people across the board use internal and external motivators to build new habits. They visualize the outcome and imagine it already being a reality, they utilize affirmations, and they are kind to themselves during the process. This is different that what the rest of humanity is doing - which is unintentionally creating immediate negative feedback through self-criticism and other negative self talk. Harshing yourself during the process makes it almost impossible to form new healthy habits. Don't do it. Speak to yourself as if you are speaking to a dear friend or child while they are struggling through physical therapy. YOU CAN DO IT!
Habit Stacking: This is a great technique I got from Clear's book. If you want to build a new habit, then maximize your chances of success by stacking it on another positive habit that you already have.
Habit stacking uses the following equation: If (x), then (y).
For example - I want to eat 30 grams of protein first thing in the morning. Typically, in the morning I make breakfast for my kids (x). Now, when I make them breakfast, I also make a protein shake for myself (y). Repeat daily until behavior is well-established.
9 Evening Habits that Will Change Your Life
Now that you know how to internal and external motivate/reward yourself and you have the habit stacking strategy to play with, let's start improving! Don't procrastinate - if you start today, 6 months from now you will have new positive habits which will lead to a new positive life.
If you don't start, all you will have in 6 months are excuses.
What happens in our day is influenced by what we do the night before, and improving your evening habits can be an easy and effective way to transform your life for the better.
Here are 9 positive evening habits to try:
Reduce stress by ending your workday with a shutdown ritual (you can read more about this concept here). Separating your life and work is key to wellbeing.
Define what tomorrow's productivity will look like by journaling at the end of the day. Use the 3:3:3 Rule:
3 hours on your most important project
3 shorter tasks
3 maintenance activities
Journal at least 1 beautiful life moment from the day. A case you managed perfectly, a cherished moment with your child or partner, a gorgeous sunset. Gratitude programs a mindset of success.
Do the dishes. Dirty dishes spill into other areas of your life. It will calm your mind to go to bed with a clean kitchen, and your tomorrow-self will thank you.
Lay out stuff you need for breakfast the night before (with the exception of perishable items). It makes it easier to get in good nutrition first thing. I started doing this a year ago and it has transformed my family's morning routine.
Lay out your clothes for the next day. Do you see a pattern? You are being kind and intentional to the future version of you, making it easier for her/him/them to have a successful day. How nice of you!
Charge your phone out of reach. It will force you to get out of bed to turn off the alarm, and it will make it less likely that you will be in your scrolls till 11 p.m.
When you get into bed, practice breathwork for a few minutes. I like 4:7:8 breathing - correctly performed it will calm your nervous system and help you fall asleep faster. Going to bed at the same time every night will also help.
Even though your conscious mind is resting, your subconscious never stops. Give your mind an overnight task by asking it a question, such as "How can I make an extra $1K this month?" Once asked, release the question to your subconscious. Don't try to solve it consciously - let your mind work on it while you sleep.
Action Step
Remember that unless knowledge is applied, it is useless:
Choose one evening habit from the list above.
Find an existing habit to stack that new habit on.
Execute every day for 30 days.
See how your life transforms.
Would love to hear in the comments what YOU do to build healthy habits in your life!
All our slightly scandalous love,
Sarah J. Wooten, DVM, CVJ and the Vets Against Insanity Crew 😆
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