Alexis Fernandez-Preiksa

And it works like that every time.

So

If we know that, if we can really be aware of that, then we can do something about it.

Now, another thing that's really important is that an ingrained habit, like I spoke about last episode, is managed by the basal ganglia, that central part of the brain, not the cortex.

It's kind of more in the midbrain.

And this reduces the need for conscious thought.

Like I said, it's going to give all these tasks that become, you know,

like where you've learned something or where you're doing something in repetition, it gives the task to your subconscious mind.

So your conscious mind is free to focus on other things and to think about other things, okay?

So breaking a habit also requires input from the prefrontal cortex, this executive control center in the brain.

So the same way that we make a habit is going to be the same way that we break a habit.

We need to override the automatic behavior by kind of bringing in conscious awareness and putting a stop to it.

So goal-directed inhibition.

So the prefrontal cortex has to actively inhibit these automatic signals from the basal ganglia, which means that we need to – the number one most important thing when breaking a bad habit is awareness.

You know those people that like flick their wrist when they do something or whatever?

It's because – and it's brilliant as long as they're, again, aware that they're doing it enough to like flick the rubber band on their wrist or just counting.

A really good way to break a habit is just –

count how many times you do that thing.

So it's not saying you've got to stop this, you've got to stop that and then resist.

No, no, just count.