It may not always be good for us but doing what we know is often comforting. We have ingrained habits and neural pathways that make the familiar easier to do.
This would be fantastic news if we all had fabulous habits from our youth. However many people develop some coping mechanisms, or a few poor habits, when they are young. Development really depends on so many things.
The good habits, and the associated neural pathways, can be great if we’ve stumbled off our path. It makes it easier to get back to our previously efficient, focused and productive selves. Knowing we’ve done it before makes it easier to do again.
Although, it is also important to note that if you have improved various aspects of your life, you need to be careful not to slip into unproductive old ways. This is especially important if those older ways were unhelpful or destructive.
Some old habits, like eating, smoking, gambling and drinking can really disrupt our lives if relived with enthusiasm or without thought.
Another category is simply those little things we enjoy doing but that have minimal impact on our lives. An example of this is flopping on the sofa and listening to a few favourite tunes from younger days. It’s just something you enjoy doing and you know you’ll feel better after it.
By doing what we know, we can improve our lives or have it spiral downward. It can be a constant battle or our saving grace. Though eventually, you can make the good habits a part of your life. By continuing to overwrite our old programming, we can minimise the chance of back sliding.
