Habits are there to save our brain some energy. That’s the reason we develop them.

They are a shortcut, as they help us to deal with a situation without needing to think about our reaction. With one habit in place, we’ll develop others around it.

Imagine how you’ve learned to drive, it was step by step and getting used to more and more complicated situations. Or think about some of the conversations you are having, there are these conversations which feel a bit like a ritual. You say hello, the other reacts with hello. The next step often is to ask how the other one is and hear the same response as always. It’s a script we use to connect with the other person and establish how the rest of the conversation can work out.

Habits are useful and help us to deal with everyday situations.

But that also means that we are not fully aware of the situation as we are using a standard pattern which doesn’t require our full attention.

A consequence of this is, that we also miss out on behaviors we repeat without actually liking them or which make us feel bad.

If that’s life is your reaction in such situations, it’s worth verifying that habit.