Why is it so Difficult to Change our Behaviors?

Procrastination, addictions, harmful practices and not living a productive life in general — We all have some bad habits that are dragging us down. 

Often, we are aware of these behaviors and the influence they have on our lives. We wish to change them, but mostly get temporary success and find ourselves turning back to our old habits. Why is it that changing our behaviors is so tricky? Let's have a look. 

We Demand Extremes 

Focusing on a single goal and improving it over time is doable, but trying to take on all of our bad behaviors, all at one time only dooms our efforts from the start to make a change. Demanding the opposite of yourself is not an easy task. Trying to change too much all of a sudden is not only difficult to maintain but unrealistic at times. 

We think in White or Black. 

In making our plans for the long-term, we rarely leave some room for mistakes. It's either everything will go according to plan, or it will be a failure. Instead of starting small, we try to take care of everything at once. We make rapid shifts in our lifestyle, and when things don't go according to plan, we feel discouraged and end up dropping our goals altogether. Having unrealistic and exaggerated expectations without any room for failure causes 

Bound by Habits 

We, humans, are creatures of habits. Some habits form as a result of months, even years of repetition. Our body and mind become accustomed to these practices, and such behaviors become ingrained in our personality. Trying to implement different ways (sometimes even completely opposite) can be hard for ourselves to handle considering how much motivation we put in it. Not having a strong commitment and being bound by our bad habits makes it difficult for us to change our behaviors. 

Knowing the challenges, how can you make the behavior modifications in your life that you are hoping to make?  

The best way to make lasting behavior modifications is to make small changes over time, breaking bad habits and creating new habits one by one.  We also need to make sure that we are giving ourself grace and not expecting too much too quickly.  

One great way to start implementing a new positive habit is through the Purawell Stress Reduction Program.  In this program, we provide audio files that will encourage subconscious positive behaviors.  By listening to about 15 minutes of this audio file, each day, you will be taking a small, habitual step that will make lasting changes.  Learn more at www.purawell.com.