A neurologist revealed 3 simple steps that help get rid of negative habits that creep into our lives quietly and accumulate over time until they turn into patterns that are difficult to break.
The idea begins with noticing small details that may seem harmless, but over time they restrict behavior and make a person wonder how they reached this stage.
In a video he posted on his YouTube channel titled "The Brain Project," Dr. Arif Khan, a pediatric neurologist, explains that habits do not arise by chance, but usually begin with a signal, feeling, or stimulus that immediately precedes the behavior.
He says: "When you wake up in the morning, your hands automatically move towards the phone, you open the same apps, and you go through the same routine without thinking. It seems natural because it has become programmed into your brain."
Khan explains that the brain prefers the easier path because relying on familiar routines consumes less energy than making new decisions, thus prompting it to remain in "automatic mode." He also highlights the role of the basal ganglia in storing behavioral patterns, explaining that they function as an autopilot system that preserves habits and reactivates them when the same conditions recur.
He adds: "This is not a weakness of will, but rather the result of a biological nature that makes the brain tend towards what it is accustomed to."
To break this cycle, Khan proposes three practical steps:
It focuses on observing the moment preceding the behavior, asking questions such as: What was I feeling? What was I avoiding? What happened before the habit started? This awareness helps to pause and choose a different response.
It relies on breaking down large goals into smaller, manageable tasks to prevent brain overwhelm. Examples include reading one page, doing one exercise, writing one sentence, or drinking a glass of water.
It involves replacing the old reward with a positive one, rather than canceling it, such as taking a deep breath, feeling proud, or doing a simple movement that enhances the sense of accomplishment.
Khan asserts that habits persist due to the release of dopamine, which is associated with feelings of satisfaction, and that redirecting this feeling helps to solidify the new behavior.
Khan concludes by emphasizing that old habits are often formed unconsciously, while new habits can be built intentionally and deliberately.
