66 Days
Many behavioral psychologists and doctors tend to agree that it take about 66 days at a minimum for a new behavior to become automatic for an individual. And that initial time period is by far the most difficult where we must break those mental synapses and associations we have established through the years. From cigarettes with coffee to a mandatory ½ gallon of ice cream after dinner, the crutches and vices are many and varied. What’s key is identifying them and knowing when they begin to become a problem because that transition from relatively benign bad habit to dangerous dependency can be very subtle and insidious. Unfortunately that 66 day time period can apply to both good and bad habits alike…
“Some neuroscientists claim that it is easier to start doing something new than it is to stop doing something that’s already a habit. But if you’re looking to end a current bad habit, it can help to replace it with a new habit rather than leaving an empty hole where your bad habit once was. ”
In my experience the importance of routine cannot be understated. For me, it’s a 3 mile run at the start of the day four days a week-no questions asked followed by a nutrient dense breakfast and protein shake before heading into work. As much as that routine absolutely sucked at first I eventually grew to love it, and now I do not feel right if I DON’T DO IT! I find that it sets up my day on the right foot (pun completely intended) and the exercise is done and out of the way with before any of the day’s curve balls can derail the best laid plans for later. That works for me but maybe for you it’s a brisk walk during your lunch break or the gym after work. There are no rules to any of it except that you find something that works (and is sustainable moving forward) for you and your lifestyle. One thing that’s often not addressed but has great importance, is that everyone in you life/circle is on board and supportive of the changes you commit to. Some times a significant other rather than being encouraging of new healthy routines and rhythms is instead critical. This is especially true if they’re not in a position (either mentally or physically) to join you in your pursuits. Unfortunately this happens more often than it should and I’d venture to say is indicative of a lack of maturity on their part.
“Synaptic and structural plasticity
”The new growth rule provides structural plasticity with a principle that is almost as simple as that of synaptic plasticity,” says co-author Arjen van Ooyen, who has been working on models for the development of neural networks for decades. As early as 1949, psychology professor Donald Olding Hebb discovered that connections between neurons that are frequently activated will become stronger.”
We are all at our best when we are happy whole and healthy from an individualistic standpoint (i.e. oxygen mask over ourselves first before we can help another), and anyone in you life that’s holding you back from that end should be re-evaluated. In my world everyone in your tribe should be working to improve and elevate everyone in the circle and anything other than that is not real nor worth the energy, but that is a conversation for another day.
