The habit loop

Okay!  As the last post about the about the power of habit book mentions, here we go for looking ‘the habit loop’. This is a thoughtful model about the habit formation, understanding which will be helpful in forming and changing the habit that we already have and the habits we want to form. Some fact checks about habits before start reading about the habit loop.

1.    Habits storage (Basal ganglia) in the brain is not same as the memory storage (different parts of brain, depending upon the type of memory) means if a person is suffering from a disease which is affecting his memory storage, won’t feel any problem in performing his daily routine which he was habitual to.

2.    Habits formation is a not lengthy nor a short process, it depends upon the extent of desire which is behind that habit.

3.    Habit is a thing which a person does mostly unconsciously, so when we set a habit it takes less will power to do it so choose them wisely.

4.    Last but not the least, habits cannot be stopped they just can be replaced.

    The last fact can be understood in clear way after studying the habit loop. 

    The habits take two things in order to set in the very first is the

1.    C U E – This is commonly understood as craving, (तलप ), which is an internally driven sensation to achieve a certain feeling. (for example, for a smoker seeing a person smoking, may turn on his urge to smoke). Cue can be anything.

2.    R e w a r d- This is the price of your habit. This is mostly a feeling. Feeling of achievement, relaxation, anti-depressant etc. (for example, for a runner the reward can be the feeling of relaxation, or the rush of ad reline during running.) Reward are feeling.

     To take this Cue to the Reward we do something which is the third member of the loop and the most critical that is the  A C T I O N , what you do to  take your cue to your reward is what you call a habit. 

    So the CUE cannot be stopped as it’s an uncontrollable and external thing, REWARD (feeling) is for what the cue is, so that too is not in our hand. The only card that we have to play is the ACTION. (Try to simulate this thing when you read.)

1.    suppose you have a habit and you want to change it then first introspect and figure out what is the feeling you’re getting when you do that, this gives you the idea of the REWARD you are in search of.

2.     Observe yourself before doing that activity and find out the CUES. Try to minimize them (if you want to get a habit then increase them).

3.    Brainstorm for a while and try to list out activities that can be done for the similar rewards.  (This is the most critical part.) these activities should be in place and perfect in themselves to compensate for the habit you want to change.

4.    Now try to do the listed activity when you have cue for the habit. And you may observe the habit to replaced. (Don’t try to stop the CUE, it’s not in our hand).

     As the book mentions the habit cannot be stopped once it starts is true since, habit is a consequence of a feeling and once the brain gets attached to a feeling it becomes hostile of that place, but the way to get that feeling is surely in our hand so the habits should be replaced than stopped.

Hope this will help you . 

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