How to break bad habits psychologically

I had habits of many things which I wanted to remove from my life.

Like smoking, alcohol, negative thoughts, etc.

“ But I found resolution and willpower do not work unless we understand the whole game of habit.”

By understanding comes a resolution of the problem not by running away or by forced willpower.

And I quit it in a moment not saying these are bad things or something but I have to win over my mind that’s all.

Because living in control of my mind is like slavery which I don’t want, slavery of any kind either physical or psychological is damaging.

It moves us from our free self which is consciousness.

Understanding truth of habit from psychological view

So let’s dig into together what is habit, how it is formed, and what are the practical solutions for breaking habit

 What is Habit

Habits are the activities that you perform unintendedly or without being aware.

First of all, we must have an objective view of habit in order to understand it fully.

Because we have a recorded bias of habit being a bad thing in our head.

But habit is just any activity that you have done so many times that it becomes automatic.

Whether it be smoking, or making a definite facial expression for some situation, or shaking legs when being nervous.

These are all habits. So habits can be constructive or damaging,

I prefer not to use right or wrong because it’s stupid. One thing that is right for someone can be wrong for someone else.

But if one thing is damaging to one person is obviously damaging to other person too.

How habits are formed 

One thing is clear that habit of anything does not build in one day.

By continuous repetition of doing the same activity linked with pleasure cause this habit.

For example – On the first day of smoking after you get a taste of nicotine high your mind gets hooked to it.

And wants more that is how the mind works. The mind seeks out pleasure and avoids pain that’s how the mind was designed.

But the mind is not intelligent because although it knows smoking cause health issues it keeps getting back.

But good thing is that we have something called intelligence in us that knows what is good and bad for us.

Ask any smoker or drinker he will agree with you on smoking and alcohol being harmful for health but he still goes on.

So we need that understanding quality.

Psychological structure of Habit

Our brain consists of neuron structures that are breaking and connecting all the time.

The more you repeat an action more stronger your connection between neurons is.

Our thoughts and beliefs are constantly creating and breaking neuron connections in the brain.

I have put down a video that is a visual representation of what I am saying, do have a look. 

Psychological methods that I have used to break free from damaging habits

IMPORTANT – One thing I want to point out is there are two worlds, one is the physical world and the other is psychological world.

Let’s understand it with an example – there are certain laws that applies in the field of the physical world such as –

a child is born then it will grow to adult and old age but in the psychological world, he remains the same.

There is time in the external world but there is no time in the internal or psychological world that is under our skin.

That means getting rid of habit does not take time at all .

We observe time in the external world i.e. a seed becoming a tree and assume the principle of our psychological world that is not true.

So time is not required in breaking any habit.

1) Passive observation of your habit brings understanding and change

Just lets the mind do a passive observation of your habit for example smoking be aware fully while you smoke.

You will feel the pain in throat, and your lungs and all the painful experiences in your body 

Followed by a sense of euphoria due to nicotine thats exactly like a dog chewing on the bones thinking the blood that he is tasting is from the bone, not his mouth,

So if you are aware of what you are doing at the time of activity you will notice how silly thing that is.

So you drop it immediately, but since the neuron connection is too strong,

There is a desire to repeat the activity again but your intelligence that came out of understanding the whole game 

Breaks the pattern of habit.

2) Create new habits

New habits break the pattern of old habits and create new neural connections.

It is helpful in keeping the brain new, healthy and preventing brain-related problems later in life.

Take full benefit of the neuroplastic nature of the brain that is made to change on learning new things.

Art is great for the brain – dancing and sketching is my favorite and also good books change your mind by creating new neuron network

but don’t read novels and fiction that make the mind more illusive.

3) Become an observer to thoughts and activities 24*7

In quantum physics, there is something called observer effect. 

It means matter behaves differently in presence of an observer like it knows it is being watched.

So what we get out of this phenomenon is that by just observation of things transformation happens.

Takeaway

Some personal advice-

@ Observation and understanding is the key to breaking any old pattern of habit, not mere willpower and resolutions. 

@ Habits breaking is an instantaneous process.

@ There are two worlds one is physical or external and the other is the psychological or internal world.

@Let the intelligence in you work for your benefit not against it.