ASK THE EXPERT
HUGH BYRNE BY MAE MAÑACAP-JOHNSON
Pulse: In your research for the book, what are some of the common factors that drive people to forming destructive habits? Hugh Bryne: People normally form destructive habits as a way to avoid or deal with a difficult or painful experience— in the way a young child might start eating unhealthily if she isn’ t getting the love or care she needs— or to have a pleasant experience, often not realizing the cost of indulging in that experience once it has become habitual or addictive( as with taking a recreational drug).
P: What could be some of the factors that hinder habit change? B: A number of factors can hinder habit change. A lack of
What’ s the secret to habit change?
HUGH BYRNE, author of The Here-and- Now Habit: How Mindfulness Can Help You Break Unhealthy Habits Once and For All( published by New Harbinger Publications), says intention is key to changing habits.
“ As Yogi Berra said,‘ if you don’ t know where you’ re going, you’ ll end up someplace else.’ Intention provides our compass, our direction,” Byrne says.“ It connects us to our deepest values and intentions. It brings us back to what matters most
to us. But it must also Check be accompanied out Byrne’ s book at by other practices— newharbinger. com for example, the practices of mindfully staying present with our difficult experiences.” clarity about how important it is to you to change a habit can prevent meaningful change because life will tend to come along and you’ ll forget to carry out your commitment or forget why you wanted to make the change. Beliefs that you can’ t make the change— that you don’ t have the strength or will-power can also be an obstacle. You can work mindfully with this kind of belief through practices of inquiry— exploring the belief and asking whether this is really true and‘ who would I be without this belief?’ A lack of consistency or half-heartedness can also hinder habit change. It is important to repeat the new habit or to practice not repeating the old unhealthy habit and consistently enough so that our brain learns new habits, and establishes a new default setting.
52 PULSE ■ January / February 2017