Why Life Disruptions and Changes Provide the Best Time to Form New Habits
Mar 21, 2020
Life gets tossed up.
Whether it’s a viral pandemic, you started a new job, or you moved to a new city.
In situations of uncertainty and confusion — the last thing we think about is making MORE change.
But we have research to show that these times are actually best for change (Verplanken & Roy, 2016; Verplanken et al., 2007). So if you’ve been procrastinating with your health and fitness goals and find yourself in a time of life change, it may be a good time to add improving your health to your list of priorities.
Habit Discontinuity Hypothesis
The habit discontinuity hypothesis suggests that when old habits are disrupted, it may be a good time to rethink other habits and negotiate new behaviors and choices.
This happens because when old habits and automatic motions of life are temporarily disturbed, people are more open to new information and are in a better place to adopt a mindset for change.
Your current habits and lifestyle (the good and the bad) are reinforced when your daily life and environment stay the same.
So when you suddenly work from home every day?
Or your daily responsibilities are turned upside down?
Or your morning routine is forced to look entirely different?
That’s perfect!
When this kind of change happens, it is a great time to reflect and see what you want to change or adjust in your life instead of living in auto-pilot mode.
How this Change Works
When your routine is disrupted, your old habits “unfreeze” from automaticity because the cues that initiate them no longer occur.
No more cues means a more conscious, deliberate process is required to get through the day. And when you have a conscious process, new behaviors can emerge, and you can form new habits.
When things get tossed up, you have lots of new choices and decisions to make, which places you in a more deliberative headspace rather than relying on habits and not having to think much.
Capitalize on this opportunity. Consider what strategies and behaviors you can CHOOSE that best align with who you want to be?
If you want to be healthier, this is a great time to focus on your mindset, nutrition, and exercise habits.
Life changes provide you with an opportunity to act on your values or change them.
Nearly 50% of what we do every day is habitual, so when life changes, this is your opportunity to reflect on your values and make conscious decisions that align with them.
It’s hard to see the positives in a shitty situation. But I promise you, if you’re OPEN to recognizing them — you’ll see them.
Form Better Habits
Whether you’re going through life changes or not, the coaches at KJO Coaching can help you create habits that align with your ideal reality.
Our team of coaches can help you overcome a fixed mindset, improve your relationship with food, lose fat, and gain strength. Click here to learn more about how we can help you achieve your goals.
And if you want to start making changes to your habits right away, check out our FREE habit assessment tool and get your mindset right to change. You’ll determine which behaviors you want to change, when to be doing them based on your lifestyle, and how to fit them into your life to best support your goals.
Check out my original Instagram post here.
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References
Roy, D., & Verplanken, B. (2013). Habits, attitudes and behaviours in transition (HABITs); a field experiment testing the Habit Discontinuity Hypothesis. Paper presented at The British Psychological Society Social Psychology Section Annual Conference, Exeter, UK United Kingdom.
Verplanken, B., & Roy, D. (2016). Empowering interventions to promote sustainable lifestyles: Testing the habit discontinuity hypothesis in a field experiment. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 45, 127-134.
Verplanken, B., Walker, I., Davis, A., & Jurasek, M. (2008). Context change and travel mode choice: Combining the habit discontinuity and self-activation hypotheses. Journal of Environmental Psychology, 28(2), 121-127.
