How Mindfulness Works to Break Bad Habits

нOW MINDFULNESS WORKS TO BREAK BAD НАBITS EFFECT CAN GO EITHER WAY START Feel pleasant (excited, happy, buzzed) or. MINDFUL AWARENESS >>> MIND & BODY EFFECT Simply notice the experience as pieasant or unpleasant. This is equanimity. CUES AND TRIGGERS It's not just our brain. We feel happy or hurt. We want the buzz to continue or the hurt to go away. Our whole mind & Habits are formed and strengthened as we journey through a continuous loop seeking to satisfy our urges. The habit loop is a way to try to make ourselves happy by maximizing pleasure and avoiding pain. When we've found a way that seems to do body experiences and interprets a stimulus, such as a Facebook .feel unpleasant (bored, anxious, post, as pleasant or unpleasant. "OMG, THAT IS So00 ADORABLEI" This leads to urge/ craving that for us, lots of cues and stressed out) triggers in life are available to fuel the engine and spin the wheel. To a social media addict, every event in life is a chance to post. To a smoker, MINDFUL AWARENESS is a form of curiosity that can act like a wedge to break the habit loop at various points and open up the opportunity for fresh choices. RACING THOUGHTS CLENCHED JAW FURROWED "I'VE every gap in the day is a chance to light up a smoke. BROW IN FACEBOOK GOTTA SHARE NEWSFEED: "WOW. LOOK CHEST TENSION THIS!" AT THESE BABY GOATS! SO CUTE. URGE MOUTH HOW DO HABITS LIVE IN THE BODY? We crave to do something to feel good or avoid pain. In the example here, we really want to share the Facebook post. ON THESE WATERING PAGES WE ILLUSTRATE THE НАВIT LOOP BY LOOKING AT Craving is not just in our heads. With ADDICTION TO SMARTPHONE MINDFUL AWARENESS >>> Notice our triggers, and learn USE. mindfulness, to navigate them better. we can be curious about how it emerges in our bodies. How does it show up for you? MINDFUL AWARENESS >>> TIGHT NECK AND SHOULDERS Notice the urge and the possibility of not acting on it. WHAT'S YOUR DRUG OF CHOICE? "CAN'T FORGET MY Anything that brings pleasure and/or lessens pain can drive the habit loop. PHONE, I MAY NEED то CHECK TIGHTENING OF SHALLOW BREATHING FACEBOOK LATER." ABDOMEN OR SPHINCTER OVEREATING SELF-CRITICISM UPSET STOMACH "I GOT URGE TO 122 MOVE AROUND LIKES!" WHEN WE BREAK THE LOOP, THERE CAN ALSO BE A REWARD IN THE FORM OF RELIEF OR EASE. Feel more pleasant (more excited, SHOPPING SMOKING MINDFUL RESULT CAN GO EITHER AWARENESS ассepted socially), or. >>> АCTION Notice that WAY within the excitement REINFORCEMENT/PERCEPTION We act on the LOVE lurks an uncomfortable urge: We share the post and await the Having our urge rewarded sets us up to want more of the same, so we begin to alter our perception to seek and find opportunities to repeat the process. And we wonder how we end up checking social media hundreds of times in a day! restlessness. We sense the reward we'll get from sharing it. .feel less shallowness of the good feeling and how quickly it unpleasant (less stress, less anxiety) REWARD/RESULT Source: Judson Brewer, MD, PhD, author of The Craving Mind. Graphic by Heather Jones. passes.