SEPTEMBER: Breaking bad habits
Posted September 1, 2024
We all have those habits we know we should break but somehow can't seem to shake. Whether it's smoking, biting your nails, or endlessly scrolling through social media, these habits often feel ingrained and impossible to let go of. But have you ever stopped to ask yourself why? Have you stopped to ask yourself, why am I doing this? Where is this really coming from?
Every habit, even if it seems destructive, serves a purpose in our lives. The reason we do something on repeat is because whatever we are getting from it weighs higher to us than what we would get from stopping. Take smoking, for example. For many, it's not just a physical addiction; it’s an escape and part of our flight response and it helps regulate big emotions and calms anxiety. Until there is a better or at least equally effective way to manage anxiety, the desire to smoke will be very high.
When you start to recognize the emotional needs that a habit fulfills, you can begin to address the root of the problem and rather than just the symptoms. Getting to the root of our habits allows us to retrain our brain to find new behaviors and outlets to achieve the same effect as the habit labeled bad.
Most of our habits are connected to helping us manage our emotional state. They're a way of altering how we feel to make our emotions more manageable. Once you pinpoint what your habit is truly doing for you, you're in a much better position to make a change. For instance, if doom scrolling helps you cope with stress, finding alternative ways to manage that stress—like practicing mindfulness, engaging in physical activity, or even talking things out with a friend—can help you gradually replace the bad habit with something healthier.
Breaking a habit isn’t just about willpower; it’s about understanding and addressing the deeper emotional triggers that keep it alive. When you focus on the why behind your habit, you're not just trying to stop something; you're actively working to create a better, more supportive way of living.
This September, we are going to get comfy with pausing to understand why we do the things we do even if they aren’t working for us. In the classes, we will focus on this theme and use a Kundalini meditation for breaking addictions! The journey might be challenging, but the rewards are well worth it.