Do you find yourself repeating patterns year after year making the same New Years resolutions? What causes the phenomena of habits or why you do what you do? Quite simply, your habits are a result of the natural conditioning of your brain. The repetition of your thoughts, feelings and actions form and strengthen your brains neural networks.

Your Neural Networks

These neural networks are similar to a roadmap leading you to your destination. The more you travel down a particular path the easier it is to remember your way so much so that it becomes second nature. This is the essence of your habit, the conditioning of your brains pattern of thinking, feeling or acting so that it is second nature. Just consider your drive home from work. How many times have you arrived home and not remembered a portion of your journey? This is the power of conditioning your brain so that you can do something without consciously thinking it.

Creatures of Habit

We are creatures of habit. Have you ever noticed on vacation you find yourself going to the same restaurant or same places in town because they have become familiar. You know how to get there, what type of food you will eat, the service etc. The adventure of finding a new place every night seems to require too much energy. We are drawn to do the same things over and over because we wired to follow the path of least resistance. In the case of habits, the same conditioning is at hand for healthy and unhealthy habits. Similar to choosing a new driving route you can transform your habits by choosing to condition new ‘neural pathways’ so they become paths of least resistance.

Coaching and Counseling

Kim Ward Ph.D. and Hilary Stokes Ph.D., founders of Authenticity Associates Coaching and Counseling, have worked as a team for over 15 years. Their mission is to empower people to achieve their authentic potential. They specialize in bringing the synergistic power of mind, body and spirit to individuals and couples. They are passionate about combining the best of holistic and traditional approaches to realize whole body wellness. If you are looking for a holistic approach to improving your life please contact Hilary Stokes Ph.D. & Kimberly Ward Ph.D. at Authenticity Associates.

Written by Hilary Stokes Ph.D. & Kim Ward Ph.D.