What is a habit and how it is acquired

A habit constitutes a behavior that, after repeating a number of times considerable, is internalized as a natural form of behavior. But, ¿How a healthy life habit is made such as, for example, an eating habit? At present, the 21 -day technique is especially used as an ideal method of acquiring new habits.

If you want to know what a habit is according to psychology, in the following article we reveal this information, solving issues such as What is a habit and how it is acquired. Finally, we will talk about the importance of acquiring healthy habits as a source of life.

1. What is a habit
2. How a habit is acquired
3. The acquisition of healthy habits as a source of life

What is a habit

A habit is a prolonged repetition behavior, which is internalized and assumes as a way of life. Habits, once acquired, are carried out automatically so they do not require the participation of certain higher mental processes such as attention, information processing, conscious intervention, etc. This characteristic of habits has a positive and a negative appearance.

This automation of behaviors allows you to invest personal resources in other matters without hardly attending to these ritualized behaviors. On the contrary, in the case of negative behaviors acquired as habits, the inertia of behavior itself and the lack of attention that occurs, among other aspects, makes it difficult to replace this behavior with another more appropriate.

How a habit is acquired

Like all learning in life the acquisition of a habit constitutes, in its beginning, the learning of a new behavior. Therefore, it requires a process of any learning process. The different steps to acquire a habit are:

• Determine the behavior. It is about specifying the behavior we intend to achieve.
• Planning. It is necessary to carry out the programming and schedule that we will carry out to integrate the healthy habit, in this case. From the health sciences it is affirmed that a minimum of three weeks (21 days) is necessary to consolidate any habit.
• Practice habit. A conscious, voluntary and programmed repetition must be carried out will allow the integration of the chosen habit.

¿How a habit is made? You should know that to carry out this third stage, it is essential to surround yourself with motivating stimuli that encourage us to carry out the behavior as has been planned for internalization. These elements can be both external and internal.

It is about making use of everything that strengthens us and encouraged to move forward with the proposed objective (a music that we like, family or friends, positive habits that motivate us towards this new, concentration and relaxation techniques, etc.).

Similarly, it will be essential to arm yourself with a whole series of strategies that allow us Fight resistances that, due to previous habits and/or in unconscious mental beliefs or schemes, the final integration of the new habit to acquire will make it difficult for us to acquire.

An example of resistance when making a habit is when a person intends.

The acquisition of healthy habits as a source of life

Our life is full of habits that, in reality, are nothing more than the automation of behaviors learned in the past. We have acquired them throughout our family and school educational process or from the rest of vital experiences. Some have been consciously chosen and others, however, have unconsciously assumed.

Among all these habits, there are some that are less advisable at the level of personal well -being and physical and mental health; and others more positive and that promote the full health of the human being and its optimal growth and development in all areas of their life.

Ideally, to maintain a healthy life that allows us to stay in good physical, mental and emotional condition and feeding positive relationships with the environment and nature, it will be conserve healthy habits and get rid of habits that take our health.

If we take into account, as we said previously, that at the base of the life project of a person there are emotional deficiencies or the assumption of family, educational or social precepts on which certain beliefs of life are supported; he Deletion of unhealthy habits or the acquisition of healthy habits will present more or less important resistance that must be taken into account when performing this personal improvement work.

The acquisition of healthy life habits is essential as long as it brings together the basic elements to feed and strengthen personal, community and family life. To do this, our post will be useful on how to improve family coexistence. In these terms, the promotion of these habits and the elimination or reduction to minimum levels of harmful habits must become a fundamental tool for social change.

While the integration of these ways of behavior, really inherent to the reality of the human being, presuppose personal care and neighbor and, with it, the best health, best coexistence and, finally, the Social progress in peaceful contexts. We tell you more about what personal and emotional self -care is.

The basic healthy habits that are convenient to consider new ways of life, if we want to change our life, that of our community and, finally, the world are:

• Stay active through body care and regular and moderate exercise.
• Take care of food, integrating a healthy, balanced and toxic diet.
• Rest What our body needs to replace vital strength and energy. The necessary sleep hours will depend on personal characteristics.
• Feed relationships social and positive social and family. This refers to the social habits that will keep us together with others and, therefore, with the social network necessary to properly carry out our personal life project.
• Keep the peace And inner joy, primary health, well -being and good life sources.
• Fight against harmful habits permanently (substance consumption or toxic food, sedentary lifestyle, anxious or depressive states, etc.) that hinder the functioning of these healthy ways of life

This article is merely informative, in psychology-online we have no power to make a diagnosis or recommend a treatment. We invite you to go to a psychologist to treat your particular case.

If you want to read more articles similar to What is a habit and how it is acquired, We recommend that you enter our category of other healthy life.