Food for thoughts on habitual patterns (aka the habit loop)
The moments in which you catch yourself reacting to something in a certain way, putting a meaning to something that triggered a certain, emotion and behavior in you.
Doesn’t everyone have these moments?
A reflex, reaction/interaction that you actually might know isn’t serving you in a good way.
If thats the case this basically means you are interacting and functioning on patterns that have probably established themselves in your life a long time ago, and you might be on the right track to ask yourself if these patterns are still serving your world in a positive way (you, your relationships, your business).
Habitual patterns from an evolutionary perspective:
If habitual patterns where not regularly adjusted to changing circumstances, it simply meant the existence of a species was at risk and threatened to further exist.
From a here and now perspective:
While the above „evolutionary perspective“ surely describes a much longer time frame than one life span of any species, the here and now perspective should highlight the moments when you made key decisions and when you developed/adopted beliefs and values that carried you forward through life. These decisions, beliefs and values served you a great purpose. Back then most likely these habitual patterns allowed you to connect and to grow up and develop as a human being.
Now look at it from the evolutionary perspective and how habitual patterns that don’t adapt to changing circumstances will basically lead to extinction. With this in mind -> If we adapt this perspective to our own habitual patterns and then ask ourselves, are there any typical reactions, reflexes, emotions, situations which are regularly leading to a stressful situation like a dispute or argument with your partner, or a stressful situation at work?
If your answer would be yes, it could quite possibly mean these situations trigger the habit loop which once served a great purpose, but now are not in your best interest any more. All that it now is, its a left over habit from the past that might better be re-evaluated and replaced with current more purposeful concepts of beliefs and values.
Some patterns might still be there and serve you well in your life, keep them. Other patterns however might still be there without any positive impact, or even worse causing a negative spiral to begin happening. Time to re-evaluate?
Sascha
#thisdrivesme #LifeCoach