how do habits work for you all?

[wispfox]

One of the books I read for one of my class talked about habits as if people do them without thinking about it. I don't think I do that - even brushing my teeth and flossing are things I have to use mental energy to start. And if I want to do them well, bring mindful about it is necessary.

I think the closest I get is getting dressed in the morning - but that's largely because I have clothing set up to be without many decisions required. So I grab the clothing and put them on, but even then I still have to think about it to not have them inside out and buttoned up right if they have multiple buttons.

Do your habits require any energy to initiate? Do you do them well or right even without paying attention? I'm trying to understand why the book would talk about adding additional habits to existing ones to make them habits as well.

I do wonder if this relates to my difficulty doing anything (except class or work, which require that) more regularly than every two weeks, or exercise that isn't because I have another reason besides exercise to do them.

And doing things that require scheduling even as often as every two weeks. Of course, I know scheduling and estimating time is really hard for me, so that last bit may be that.

Comments

[starandrea]

Do your habits require any energy to initiate?

Yes - for me, habits are less about not having to think about the thing and more about not having to decide about the thing. When I get up in the morning, I have to exert energy to go stretch, but I don't have to decide whether or not to do it, because for me it's a habit. It's the first thing I do when I get up in the morning. I don't do it automatically, but I don't lie in bed each morning thinking, "should I stretch today?" (I do lie in bed thinking, "should I get up now," just not "what should I do once I get up," because stretching first thing is a habit.)

ETA: Oh! Also :)

I'm trying to understand why the book would talk about adding additional habits to existing ones to make them habits as well.

For me, adding a thing that I do after stretching (foam rolling) has made that a habit as well. So my morning routine goes: stretch, foam roll, meditate. I think about it, but I don't have to decide, "what comes after stretching?" I just lie on the floor going, "ugh, okay, foam rolling next, SIGH" ♥

[wispfox]

It sounds like you are closer to me in this - but one person pointed out a thing that I definitely do _not_ have - psychological discomfort if I skip a habit. Do you have this?

[starandrea]

psychological discomfort if I skip a habit. Do you have this?

Definitely not, at least not that I can think of. If I skip stretching I'm more likely to feel secretly gleeful, like I got away with something. I do it because it makes my day easier to have a planned start with observable benefits, something that I can check off as having accomplished right away, not because I have to do that thing in particular. Anything I do first thing in the morning would serve the same benefit. In fact, when I don't follow my current routine it's almost always because I'm doing something else instead: rushing to get out the door, walking the dog, etc. so whatever the other thing is becomes the thing I accomplished, and that's fine.

Even the things I do that are more automatic (with significantly less activation energy, I guess) are just things I do unless I don't. Like counting geese as they go overhead, which it never occurred to me to question until my sister was like, "do you *always* count the number of geese?" and I was like, "well, yeah, why not?" To me it was just part of observing that there are geese: "oh look, geese, they're flying and honking and there's eight of them." But apparently not everyone counts things, is what I got out of that! :) I don't have to count them, though. Sometimes there's too many, or I'm focused on something else, so I just don't.

[wispfox]

Yeah, this is definitely more like me! :)