Why new habits are so hard to stick to

Why new habits are so hard to stick to

1 00:00:00:00 00:00:00:20 Caption: Dr Radha Modgil GP and presenter 2 00:00:00:22 00:00:14:09 Radha Modgil: I've always been a dedicated and compliant tooth brusher but I was never really encouraged to floss. A few years ago, I went to see my dentist and he said to me, "Listen, your teeth are fine but you need to start flossing." "OK." I said. "No problem. How hard can flossing be?" 3 00:00:14:20 00:00:30:12 Radha Modgil: I got all the kits, I bought all the tape, the sticks, everything. Day one, I did it. Day two, I did it. Day three, I didn't do it. And then the days turned into weeks and the weeks turned into months and I was back at my dentist. Again he told me I needed to floss. 4 00:00:30:24 00:00:43:20 Radha Modgil: Some nights I did, some nights I didn't, there were so many excuses. "I'm tired." "It's boring." "I'm going to punch myself in the face again by accident." But now I'm a dedicated flosser. So what changed? 5 00:00:43:22 00:00:49:14 Radha Modgil: Sean Covey, author of the best-selling book, "Seven Habits of Highly Effective People" once said... 6 00:00:49:20 00:00:55:20 Caption: "Depending on what they are, our habits will either make us or break us." "We become what we repeatedly do." 7 00:00:55:24 00:01:06:09 Radha Modgil: Some of these habits are helpful and healthy and some not so good, but what they all have in common is that we're unaware we're doing them because they become automatic and repetitive. 8 00:01:06:11 00:01:16:20 Radha Modgil: Our habits combine like steps on a journey in life. They determine our direction and that's pretty scary considering most of the time we're not really consciously in control of them. 9 00:01:16:22 00:01:21:21 Radha Modgil: So why are habits so difficult to break and new ones so difficult to make? 10 00:01:22:05 00:01:37:21 Radha Modgil: Neuroscience tells us our brains set up things called habit loops. These habit loops consist of three stages. Stage one is a cue. This is a trigger - it could be from your external environment or your internal environment for example, your emotional state. 11 00:01:37:23 00:01:50:05 Radha Modgil: Stage two is a routine behaviour. It's the action you take in response to that cue. Stage three is the reward, so the release of dopamine in the brain, a neurotransmitter associated with feelings of pleasure. 12 00:01:50:07 00:02:02:15 Radha Modgil: Because you've had that release of dopamine which has made you feel good you're more likely to repeat that behaviour in response to the cue next time and that's why a habit is hard to break and hard to make, because those neural connections are strong. 13 00:02:02:24 00:02:12:05 Radha Modgil: But the good news is nothing's set in stone. Breaking old habits and making new ones can be done, but it takes an extraordinary amount of self-awareness and effort. 14 00:02:12:15 00:02:19:21 Radha Modgil: So here are some top tips to help you through it and it may even save your gums at the same time. It worked for me. Tip one... 15 00:02:19:23 00:02:21:17 Caption: Find your motivation 16 00:02:21:19 00:02:33:14 Radha Modgil: Why do you want to change? What are the benefits? What are the repercussions if you don't change that habit? And do you want those repercussions? Write them down and read them often. Tip two... 17 00:02:33:17 00:02:34:21 Caption: Be specific 18 00:02:34:23 00:02:49:20 Radha Modgil: What exactly do you want to achieve and how are you going to do it? Make space and time in your diary to put the effort towards changing that habit. Take practical steps that will help you break that cycle of cue and response. Tip three... 19 00:02:49:22 00:02:52:15 Caption: Small steps are better than giant leaps 20 00:02:53:04 00:03:03:16 Radha Modgil: Try the 1% idea where each day you improve or change something by 1%. That way you start to see progress and you're not put off by failure. Tip four... 21 00:03:03:18 00:03:07:02 Caption: Don't stop when you're on a roll and celebrate your success 22 00:03:07:07 00:03:18:04 Radha Modgil: Keep the momentum of that new habit going, however small it is. The continuous nature of changing something about your behaviour will signal to your brain that this is an important change and one that you need to continue. 23 00:03:18:06 00:03:24:02 Radha Modgil: Chart your progress and celebrate your achievements with a treat so you still get that dopamine hit. Tip five... 24 00:03:24:04 00:03:25:04 Caption: Be patient 25 00:03:25:12 00:03:41:09 Radha Modgil: A study in 2009 showed that on average it takes 66 days to form a new habit with some easier habits being formed in 18 days and some harder ones being formed in 254 days. So changing habits can change your life. 26 00:03:41:22 00:03:48:07 Radha Modgil: I think that once you notice a habit is unhelpful and you know why you want to change it then really, the rest is a piece of cake. 27 00:03:48:09 00:03:52:02 Radha Modgil: So good luck, go forth and break some habits.