Dr. Arif Khan, a renowned pediatric neurologist at NMC Royal Hospital in Abu Dhabi (UAE), has proposed three strategies to help conquer any bad habits.
“Have you ever noticed how your day begins? You open your eyes, and your hands already know what to do. The same path to the kitchen, the same actions… It happens automatically. are a character trait; they are neural shortcuts that your brain creates to save energy,” Dr. Khan explained to his YouTube audience.
The thing is, the chooses the path of least resistance. Repeating familiar actions requires less energy than contemplating new solutions or suddenly planning for unforeseen circumstances. In other words, the brain prefers to operate on autopilot, as reported by Daily Mail.
This is why attempts to change behavior can feel so challenging. They disrupt a smooth, well-established neural pathway and force the brain to work harder.
“Deep within your brain lies a structure called the basal ganglia. It acts like a autopilot system. When you repeat an action many times, this part of the brain stores a certain pattern,” Dr. Khan says. According to him, it’s not about a lack of willpower; it’s purely a biological issue.
He outlined three effective tricks to help break bad habits: signal shifting, the one-step rule, and rewriting rewards.
Signal Shifting
The expert suggested recalling the moment when the habit arises. More specifically, the or trigger just before it forms. Dr. Khan asserts that this is the moment to break the cycle.
Once a person recognizes this feeling, they pause. This pause allows for a reset, enabling them to avoid the usual automatic path and choose a different one.
The One-Step Rule
The next method focuses on setting realistic goals that won’t overwhelm the brain in the fight against bad habits.
“Your brain resists change not because it’s lazy. It does so when the changes seem too monumental. The prefrontal cortex, responsible for planning and discipline, quickly gets fatigued. When a task feels insurmountable, the brain immediately reverts to the old pattern,” the neurologist emphasized.
In this case, tasks should be scaled down to make them “neurologically feasible.” This will help break free from the rut.
“Read one page. Do one push-up. Write one sentence. Drink one glass of water,” Dr. Khan advises.
Rewriting Rewards
Finally, the neurologist highlighted the reward system. The idea is that habits persist because they make us feel rewarded through a dopamine release.
“To overcome a habit, you shouldn’t wait for the usual reward. You need to replace it, and after establishing new behavior, give your brain something else meaningful,” the expert said. And finally, take a deep breath and feel that moment of pride: “I did it!”
Your old habits formed by chance. New ones will be formed consciously. And that is just as satisfying as the old rewards that are now in the past.
Photo: Unsplash
