Everyone has bad habits. It could be napping, playing too much video games or alcoholism. Whatever it is, you need to find your ways to stop it and throw into the dumpster. Why? Because bad habits can turn your life upside down. It will take you away from your goals and responsibilities, causing more damage to your future. According to Michael Gazzaniga research, he concluded that the mind has modules that work semi-autonomously. Hence, to remove bad habits, you need to make sure that your inner parts work together. Known as Internal Family Systems (IFS) here are the thorough explanation of the inner parts:
Exiles: This is the voices that hate themselves. They believe that they are failures, unloved, and will never accomplish anything. They are your inner children within yourself that are very insecure. You need to coax and treat them with gentleness and kindness.
Managers: This is the parents in your head. They are the naggers, the pushers, and the doers. They will never feel that you have done enough, and they will push you to greater heights.
Firefighters: Both managers and firefighters want you to accomplish goals and become a better person. However, they get it with different means. Firefighters will do everything they can to solve problems immediately. They have the best intentions but don’t make the best decisions.
To end your bad habits, you must get all these three on the same page. Here are the 3 steps to break your bad habits according to neuroscience.
Calmness
Nothing can be solved when your mind in a mess. So take a sit, breathe deeply and relax. Once you loosen up, bring yourself back and make sure you’re sitting in the driver’s seat. Calmness will take the Managers and Firefighters off the wheel.
Inner voice
Do you notice that you have inner voices? Yes, you do, and one of the ways to remove bad habits is talking to your inner voice. Sounds crazy? Well, don’t worry because research has found that talking to yourself can strengthen the message that you’re trying to absorb, and more likely to give you successful behavioral changes.
Exile
Last but by no means least, you must confront the Exile. While you are dealing with the Managers and the Firefighters, the Exiles are just sitting in the corner, waiting for your approval. By granting it, you must accept and come to terms with your flaws, insecurities, and weaknesses. Approach your Exiles gently and don’t get your Exiles worked up and worried.
Gaining bad habits are easy but cutting it out is hard. To fix it, you need more than willpower, discipline, and self-control. It’s all about understanding your inner and outer part of yourself. You have to work hard to prove a point that you are no longer need those bad habits in your life.
