Can a New Habit Be Formed In 20 Days?

A habit is a routine behavior that a person displays, often subconsciously, over a period of time.

It is of great importance to comprehend how habits are formed and how it influences our lives. The commonly asked question is; can a new habit be formed in 21 days?

This article will delve into stages of habit formation, the factors which influence them, and strategies which are practical to help readers to cultivate positive habits in their daily life.

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Stages of Habit Formation

There are four stages in habit formation namely; cue, craving, response and reward.

1. Cue

Cue is a trigger that initiates a behavior in the brain. It lets the brain notice a chance of reward and therefore trigger a desire to achieve it. The cue leads to the second stage of habit formation which is craving.

• Craving

This is the second stage of habit formation. This is when the emotions set in and the person start feeling attached to certain opportunity the brain has noticed. Craving takes the mantle from cue.

• Response

This is when the brain triggers you to actually take a real action because it believes that this will bring about satisfaction.

• Reward

This is the last stage, and it is the end goal of habit. Whenever the brain experiences the same cue then it will trigger the same craving. The response will be the same because of familiarity and the reward will be as before.

HABIT FORMATION EXAMPLE

Cue: Every day a jogger goes for a morning run at 6am and passes by the coffee shop which smells of freshly minted coffee. The smell will trigger an idea in his mind. Here the cue is about becoming aware of the reward.

Craving: The exercise drives blood to his brain, which means more oxygen and the body being tired, it wants to relax. The body craves for fresh coffee to provide energy after tiresome run. The craving is about wishing for the reward.

Response: The jogger will purchase a cup of coffee during every morning run to relax himself and gain energy afterwards. The response is about actualization of the desire, that is, coming into possession of the reward.

Reward: In as much as the body becoming lean and fit because of the exercise, the jogger will always buy a cup of coffee every time he goes for the morning run because his brain will trigger a craving every time he passes by the coffee shop.

If any of the above four stages fail, then there will not be any habit formed. All of them must be present.

Factors Which influence Habits

1)Environment

When we find ourselves in a new environment, we tend to react differently. A person who can feel satisfied when he joins a salsa class and another person will feel less satisfied. Whatever the eyes sight, the brain processes and will instruct the body to react.

2)Peer

Our peers have a way of controlling our emotions. Human beings are social in nature and will always want to fit in certain class and circles. To do that, they have to play by the laid down rules. In the long run these rules trigger emotions which can lead one to form a certain habit.

3)Emotional stability

Some people will easily be hurt by something while another person will find the same as something to laugh about. The level of emotional stability will influence how habits are formed.

How to Form Habits?

1. Set clear goals

The goal should be achievable. Do not set goals which are unrealistic as this will lead to anxiety and create stress. Let your goals be high enough to motivate you and low enough to be reachable.

• Have a routine

A schedule helps you to stick to the plan. Start small and slowly pick up the pace and within no time, you will have created a routine. This will be a daily reminder to you because you will feel that something is amiss, until you perform that task.

• Evaluate the process

The purpose of monitoring and evaluation is to help you remain accountable to yourself. Monitoring the progress helps you to know if you are on the right track, and if not, to take corrective measures.

• Reward yourself

The end goal of any habit is to earn that satisfaction, which is the reward. You have to reward yourself for the milestones you have achieved.

Debunking the 21-day rule

Experts have not yet come into an agreement if a new habit can really be formed in 21days despite much discussion surrounding this topic. But how did 21-day rule come into being? The fact is that a new habit can be developed within a very short or a longer period of time depending with the person and how he reacts to triggers.

The fact is that the rule emerged during Dr. Maxwell Maltz era, a surgeon who concluded that a person requires 21 days to get used to a new environment or physical change in their body. This idea emerged from his observations on his patients who had undergone different surgeries. This was later misinterpreted to mean that a habit can be formed in 21 days.

Conclusion

Habit formation is influenced by lot of factors. One of them is our surrounding because as human beings we react in different ways every time we find ourselves in a new environment. Also, some people are emotionally unstable therefore will develop habits according to how they achieve their desires.

The 21- day rule is a myth which has be around for some time. It is now a fact that what was believed earlier to be a person requiring 21 days to form a new habit is false. Actually, different people form habits over different number of days.

There are some hitches to habit formation like one being wary of the outcomes and therefore making him reluctant to develop a new habit. However, being consistent and pursuing that which makes you happy is the real deal. Habits are formed daily, depending on how the brain picks a cue from the five senses.