Choose healthy habits 2022
The importance of Healthy Habits
“We are what we repeatedly do. Excellence, then, is not an act, but a habit.” These words from Greek philosopher Aristotle reinforces the fact that your habits form your character, and habits can become addictive. It is therefore important for children to be equipped with the right toolkit so that they can identify when habits are becoming addictions. A habit becomes an addiction when you start to experience problems in your mental and/or physical health and daily functioning.
A habit can be summed up as a routine that gets harder to give up the longer that behaviour goes on. From a mental health point of view, the difference between a habit vs. an addiction can be as perplexing as it is overwhelming. The line that separates the two can be unclear, and habit-forming and addictive behaviours can overlap in many unexpected ways. Understanding the differences between the two can help children to make better choices and avoid losing control in a later stage of their life.
Help children to avoid enabling triggers that will tempt them to indulge in unhealthy habits. Rather, try to exchange such behaviours with comparable, but healthier habits. It can only be beneficial for children to become aware of negative, self-destructive and self-deprecating thoughts, so that they can refrain from habits/behaviours that lead to these thoughts.
A Message to Teachers
As a child grows, they must make certain adjustments in various situations of life. Therefore, they must acquire various habits, knowledge, attitudes, and skills. The acquisition of all these things is called ‘learning’, and that is why Teachers play such a critical role in helping children to form healthy habits. Children follow the teacher’s advice more often than their parents.
Teachers can help the students in the formation of good habits by organising activities that enhance the importance of good habits.
Ultimately Teachers not only guide students in academics or extracurricular activities, but Teachers are also responsible for shaping a child’s future, making them a better human being. A Teacher also imparts knowledge, good values, tradition, modern-day challenges and ways to resolve them.
The development of a child’s behaviour
The term ‘habit’ is widened from the commonplace definition meaning an oft-repeated action or an established practice or custom requiring little thought (such as brushing one’s hair) to mean unconscious mental processes, revealed as behavioural tendencies and dispositions as the child engages with the events and challenges of everyday life.
In contemporary developmental psychology, children’s learning is seen as being limited only by their lack of experience and accumulated knowledge. As the child interacts within their environment in their daily lives, they see dynamic interactions between people and objects and their brains try to make meaning of it all.
Learning to learn is not a single phenomenon or skill, but a group of practices that enhance an individual’s abilities to learn. Some of this processing is conscious (mostly when unfamiliar tasks are tried) but much meta-cognitive activity happens completely without conscious awareness. Language also plays a key role, as it serves as an aid of memory.
Important learning can take place through experience and in a playful context in younger children, both in their own independent activity and through interaction with adults and peers. Another factor to consider with our modern-day society, is that childhood television viewing may contribute to the development of attention problems and suggest that the effects may be long-lasting.
Starting habits in the Family
A wonderful way to teach a child about good habits are starting by forming healthy habits within your own family structure, by prioritising what’s important to your family.
What we teach children at home by way of repetitive learning, gradually makes them aware of established norms, customs and habits, whether it is food, the way of communicating, dealing with challenges or just living together. Creating healthy habits in children will give them security in the things they do.
Busy schedules can lead to problems, such as:
· Fatigue
· Burn-out and stress
· Families spending less time together
· Friendships being neglected
· Letting clutter and mess pile up
· Missing special days
· Depression and anxiety
· Refusing to discuss topics such as school or extracurricular activities
· A negative change in attitude
Thinking optimistically, the best part about a bad habit is that it can be changed. Remember, that it is never a good idea to criticise a child in front of other people. Comment on a behaviour, but don’t label a child as bad.
How to build good habits in a child’s life
Good habits will help children in the future. It plays a crucial role in building up a child’s confidence and character. Teaching children to implement good habits in practical ways could be difficult, but it is not impossible. Firstly, it is important for a child to have a good role model to look up to. Set realistic expectations and strong ground rules, and allow the child to speak.
A Life Free of Addiction
Certain behaviours can trigger the brain’s reward system and become addictive. The negative effects of a behavioural addiction can be like those related to a substance use disorder.
According to Science Direct, behavioural addictions are defined as, “an intense desire to repeat some action that is pleasurable or perceived to improve wellbeing or capable of alleviating some personal distress.”
What classifies behaviours as addictive is the difficulty those affected have with stopping or reducing their participation in it. Some motivating factors for behavioural addictions include the perception of temporary decreased depression and anxiety.
Behavioural addictions such as gambling, overeating, television compulsion, and internet addiction are like drug addiction, except that the individual is not addicted to a substance.
Others have stated that behaviourally addicted individuals have certain symptoms and will undergo the same consequences brought about by addiction to alcohol and drugs as well as other obsessive behaviours.
Why Behavioural Addictions are serious:
· The inability to stop or control behaviour
· Feeling shame or embarrassment after doing the activity
· The inability to stop addictive behaviours despite knowing how they impact the body and mind
· Experiencing problems in being able to think clearly
· Memory loss, and paying attention
· People may develop poor social behaviour because of their addictions
· Work performance and personal relationships might suffer
Diagnosing an Addiction
· An individual who repeatedly and unsuccessfully attempts to quit their addictive behaviour may be struggling with addiction
· An individual turning to addictive behaviour after expressing feelings of stress or depression can be an indicator of addiction
· If a person has indicated that they do not enjoy using their addictive behaviour of choice anymore, but continues to do so anyway, it’s likely that they’re struggling to quit
· Someone struggling with addiction will repeatedly show that they are unable to limit their use to a reasonable level
· A person with an addiction is going to prioritise satisfying their addiction over everything else
· The addictive behaviour is continuing over a longer time than the person originally intended
· Spending extended periods trying to get hold of a substance
Warning Signs of Addiction
Addiction begins with experimentation with a behaviour or substance. There are many reasons why someone might initially try an addictive behaviour/substance.
Substances or behaviours that can trigger Addiction:
· Coffee or caffeine
· It does not take much alcohol to reach a harmful level of drinking
· Nicotine is the single most abused substance in the world
· In today’s culture, we now have “designer drugs”
· Anabolic Steroids
· Gambling can become extremely addictive
· Comfort food eating can become addictive
Substance or Behavioural Addiction is a complex disease that has serious, harmful effects on a person’s health and their social relationships. How does a person become addicted? The answer is not so simple – no single factor determines whether a person will become addicted or not.
What causes Addiction?
Regardless of your upbringing or moral code, many factors can raise your risk of becoming addicted.
What is the best therapy for Behavioral Addictions?
With several options available, you can find an addiction treatment option that best fits your individual needs. Addiction treatment is not a one-size-fits-all. Treatments may vary based on your needs.
· It is important to consider therapy if you wish to stay away from whatever you are addicted to. It may take more than one method of support to kick the habit.
· You can visit your primary care doctor for an evaluation. The type of treatment a doctor recommends depends on the severity and stage of the addiction. A doctor may recommend medication, therapy, or a rehabilitation centre, depending on the severity and type of addiction you are struggling with.
Behavioral Addiction in a nutshell
A behavioural addiction is a psychological compulsion to take part in repeated behaviour regardless of any negative consequences to one’s well-being. It is typically recognised to be a disorder of the brain’s reward system.
Some of the most common Behavioral Addictions include:
· Gambling – When you gamble, your brain releases dopamine, the feel-good neurotransmitter that makes you feel excited. You would expect to only feel excited when you win, but your body produces this neurological response even when you lose.
· Internet – In the past few years internet addiction (IA) and internet gaming disorder (IGD) have become frequent, leading to many personality and psychiatric disorders including low self-esteem, impulsivity, poor sleep quality, mood disorders and suicide.
· Video Games – Gaming addiction is a compulsive mental health disorder that can cause severe damage to one’s life. It is common for a video game addict to spend over 10 hours a day gaming, usually well into the night, and many suffer from sleep deprivation.
· Shopping – Oniomania (compulsive shopping, or what is more commonly referred to as shopping addiction, is perhaps the most socially acceptable addiction. As with other addictions, shopping addiction is usually a way of coping with emotional pain.
Struggling with unhealthy habits? Break free from addiction. We can help.
