How I Took Control of My Habits

(sand shifts) (mouse clicks) (bright music) Headspace Studios. (chimes ringing) (peaceful music) Hey there, I'm Kessonga, and welcome to "Radio Headspace" It's a terrific Thursday. So I wanted to dedicate today's episode to a topic that many of us can relate to: bad habits. In the spirit of mindfulness and being non-judgmental, let's not say bad habits, but instead, habits that are not serving us well right now. Or maybe just keeping it super simple and saying, habits that we want to change. So yeah, today I'm gonna talk about those habits that we want to change, why we practice them anyway, and how mindfulness can be tremendously helpful in accomplishing this goal. So let's talk about it. Earlier this week as I was working, I noticed a sudden fog come over me. I was writing some meditations, and I just suddenly felt out of it, like I needed a nap, and I'm definitely one of those people that gets a little sluggish in the afternoon, but not like this. As I reflected as to why I could possibly be feeling this way, it suddenly dawned on me. I went to bed super late last night. Of course I was hitting a wall. I was tired. (laughs) As I've mentioned before, I'm a bonafide night owl. I absolutely love the nighttime. I actually get a second wind at night and get some of my best work done at night. However, I also recognize the benefit of not only getting seven to eight hours of sleep, but it's also when you get that sleep. I've read numerous articles that state it's best to go to sleep before midnight. Even if you're able to get the eight hours of sleep going to bed after midnight, it's still best to go to sleep before midnight. Believe it or not, not going to bed before midnight is super hard for me. I'm usually in bed around 1, 1:30, but for 2024, I made the New Year's intention to get to bed before midnight. On this particular night, I had a relapse. (chuckles) But it got me to thinking about those habits that we wanna break or that we know we need to break, and how difficult it can often be to do so. So first off, what is a bad habit? The formal and most common definition is that it is something that we do regularly, almost without thinking about it, and which has some sort of negative consequence. It could be something as simple as biting your nails, or as complex as procrastinating on important tasks or going to bed late. (chuckles) Bad habits often feel like they're out of your control, and even though we're aware that they're harmful, for some reason, we keep doing them. So why do we form bad habits in the first place? Some scientists say it often comes down to our brain's reward system. When we engage in a behavior that feels good, whether it's eating junk food, smoking,...