Why are established habits difficult to break

  Hi, today I would like to share about the interesting topic, namely "Why are established habits difficult to break", the main reason why I choose that topic because the question that I mentioned in the topic touches on the core of the psychology and neuroscience of habits. Habits that have been performed frequently become very difficult to eliminate because they are deeply rooted in three levels: the Brain (Biological), Behavioral Patterns (Psychological), and the Environment.

 

Here are the main reasons why habits are difficult to break:

 

🧠 1. Brain Mechanism (Strong Neural Pathways)

Habits are the brain's way of conserving energy. When an action is repeated many times, the brain transforms it from a conscious decision-making process into an automatic response, which involves the following mechanisms:

 

- Reinforced Neural Pathways (Neuroplasticity): Every time you repeat a habit (e.g., smoking when stressed), the neurons in the brain associated with that action connect more strongly. Imagine it like creating a path in a meadow; the more often it is traversed, the clearer and easier the path becomes.

- Result: The action becomes a default response that is performed without needing to think hard.

- Role of Basal Ganglia: This part of the brain stores habits. When a habit is stored here, the part of the brain responsible for logic and conscious thought (Prefrontal Cortex) no longer needs to work.

- Result: Habits operate subconsciously, making them difficult to "access" and change by sheer willpower.

- Dopamine Effect: Habits that provide quick rewards—such as the feeling of comfort after eating something sweet or relief after procrastinating—release the neurotransmitter dopamine.

- Result: Dopamine creates a strong urge (craving) to repeat the action when a trigger (cue) appears, even if you know the habit is bad.

 

🔁 2. The Habit Loop

Every habit operates within a three-step cycle that locks in your behavior:

 

- Cue: The trigger is a signal that tells the brain to enter automatic mode (e.g., seeing a cellphone, 7 PM, feeling bored, or a specific location).

- Routine: The action you take in response to the trigger (e.g., grabbing a snack, opening social media).

- Reward: The benefit or satisfaction you get (e.g., sweetness, feeling entertained, temporary relief).

Difficult to Break Because: This cycle creates an expectation. Once the Cue appears, your brain automatically expects the Reward. If you try to break the Routine, your brain will send strong "need" or "anxiety" signals (craving), demanding that you complete the cycle to get the predicted reward.

 

🛋️ 3. Psychological and Environmental Factors

 

- Comfort and Safe Zone: The brain tends to prefer predictability. Old habits feel safe and comfortable, even if they are bad. Change brings uncertainty, which the brain often interprets as danger or stress.

- Self-Identity: If you often repeat a habit, it can become part of who you are ("I am a person who likes to stay up late" or "I am not disciplined"). Changing habits means changing self-identity, which feels psychologically very heavy.

- Environmental Support: An environment that is not supportive or is full of triggers will greatly hinder change. If all your friends smoke, it is very difficult for you to quit because your environment constantly provides Cues and social Routines.

 

Conclusion:

Habits are difficult to break not because you are weak, but because habits are very efficient automatic pathways created by your brain to conserve energy. To change them, you cannot rely solely on willpower, but must identify and break/replace elements in the Habit Loop (Cue → Routine → Reward) so that the brain can build new neural pathways."

How to anticipate and manage deep trauma

   Hi, today I would like to share about the interesting topic, namely "How to anticipate and manage deep trauma", the main reason why I choose that topic because many people can't survive with a deep trauma in the past, as we know that anticipating and managing deep trauma is a process that requires patience, time, and self-compassion. Trauma is not just being "sad," but rather the nervous system's response to events that shake your sense of security.

 

Here are structured steps to help you manage the impact of trauma and prevent it from taking over your life:

 

1. Self-Stabilization (Emotional First Aid)

When memories or pain from trauma arise (flashbacks), your nervous system goes into fight, flight, or freeze mode. The first step is to bring yourself back to the "now" moment. 

- Grounding Techniques: Use the 5-4-3-2-1 technique to stop dissociation (feeling disconnected from reality).

- 5 things you can see.

- 4 things you can touch (texture of clothes, table).

- 3 sounds you can hear.

- 2 smells you can smell.

- 1 taste you can savor (or one good thing about yourself).

- Regulate Breathing: Deep breathing signals to the brain that you are safe. Try the 4-7-8 technique (Inhale for 4 seconds, hold for 7 seconds, exhale slowly for 8 seconds).

 

2. Validation and Acceptance

Often we try to "anticipate" trauma by rejecting it or pretending everything is fine. This actually makes things worse.

 

- Allow Yourself to Feel: It's okay to feel broken, angry, or scared. Those emotions are valid. Cry if necessary; tears contain stress hormones that the body needs to release.

- Avoid Toxic Positivity: Don't force yourself to immediately "take the lesson." Focus on healing the wound first before looking for meaning.

 

3. Rebuilding a Sense of Security

Trauma damages the sense of security. You need to rebuild structure in your life.

 

- Create Small Routines: Trauma creates chaos. Routines create predictability. Waking up, eating, and showering at the same time can be very helpful in stabilizing your mental state.

- Create a Safe Space: Designate one place (could be a bedroom or a specific corner) where you feel completely safe and have full control over the environment.

 

4. Processing Through Expression (Externalization)

Getting the trauma out of your head and into another medium helps reduce cognitive load.

 

- Journaling: Write down what you feel without editing it. The brain dump technique (dumping all the contents of your mind) is very effective in reducing noise in the head.

- Expressive Arts: Sometimes words are not enough. Drawing, painting, or listening to music can access the emotional parts of the brain that language cannot reach.

 

5. Professional Help (Highly Recommended)

Deep trauma often changes the structure of the brain and is difficult to heal alone. Professional therapy is the best form of anticipation to prevent trauma from becoming a long-term disorder (such as PTSD).

Consider the following therapies:

 

- CBT (Cognitive Behavioral Therapy): Helps change negative thought patterns.

- EMDR (Eye Movement Desensitization and Reprocessing): Very effective specifically for trauma, helping the brain reprocess painful memories.

- Somatic Therapy: Focuses on how trauma is stored in the body (such as chronic muscle tension).

 

6. Physical Body Care

Trauma is not just in the mind, but also in the body (The Body Keeps the Score).

 

- Physical Movement: Light exercise, yoga, or just walking helps burn adrenaline and cortisol that accumulate due to trauma stress.

- Adequate Sleep: While sleeping, the brain processes emotions. Sleep disturbances will make trauma recovery more difficult.

 

What to Avoid? 

- Self-Isolation: Being alone constantly gives room for negative thoughts to multiply. Stay connected with at least one person you trust.

- Unhealthy Coping Mechanisms: Avoiding feelings with alcohol, illicit drugs, or impulsive behavior only delays the pain and adds new problems.

 

Brief Summary 

Phase Main Focus Action 

Present Moment Calm Deep breathing, 5-4-3-2-1 Grounding techniques 

 

Deep trauma is an "inner wound." Just like a broken bone that needs a cast and time to fuse back together, your inner self also needs time.

Why do we blame others for other people's Inability

 

  Hi, today I would like to share about the interesting topic, namely "Why do we blame others for other people's Inability", the main reason why I choose that topic because many people like to blame others from inability, "From a psychological perspective, the answer is clear: Objectively, it's not feasible, yet subjectively, people often find themselves doing it. Psychology not only looks at the "facts" of inability but also examines why the human brain has a tendency (bias) to keep blaming—either blaming oneself (self-blame) or others—even when the inability is real.

 

Here's a breakdown from a psychological standpoint:

 

1. Why Do We Blame Others for Inability?

When we see others fail to do something (even if they are unable), our brains often experience a cognitive bias called the Fundamental Attribution Error.

 

- What is it? We tend to judge others' failures as a result of their internal character (lazy, stupid, careless), when in reality, it is due to external situations (illness, disaster, physical limitations).

- Example: Someone is late for a meeting because of a flat tire (situational/inability). Their boss might think, "They are a person who is undisciplined" (character), instead of "They are just having bad luck."

- Social Psychology: Humans do this to maintain a sense of safety. Acknowledging that "bad things can happen for no reason (external factors)" is scary. It's easier to blame the person.

 

2. Why Do We Blame Ourselves? (Illusion of Control)

This is the most painful phenomenon. Why does someone feel guilty for not being able to save a terminally ill parent or not being able to prevent an accident?

 

- Illusion of Control: Humans have a deep psychological need to feel in control. Acknowledging "I am powerless" is often more frightening than feeling guilty.

- Subconscious Logic: "If I feel guilty, it means I should have been able to do something." This provides a false sense of security that in the future, we can prevent bad things from happening again.

- Hindsight Bias: The tendency to see past events as something that "should have been predictable."

Example: "I should have known it would rain that day, so I wouldn't have taken them out." In fact, when the decision was made, that data did not exist or the ability to predict it was impossible.

 

3. The Concept of "Psychological Inability"

Psychology also introduces the nuance that "inability" is not just physical. There are conditions where the brain refuses to cooperate, which are often misinterpreted as "lazy" or "unwilling."

 

- Executive Dysfunction: Often occurs in ADHD, depression, or severe anxiety. Someone wants to do something, but the neural pathways in their brain are jammed. They are literally "unable" to start the task.

- Blaming people in this condition can worsen their mental state without improving performance.

- Learned Helplessness: If someone constantly fails or is suppressed, they may feel "unable" when they are actually capable. In this case, blaming them is also ineffective; they need confidence rehabilitation, not punishment.

 

4. The Impact of Blaming Inability

Blaming someone (or yourself) for something beyond their capacity is toxic to mental health (Toxic Guilt/Shame).

 

Aspect Healthy Guilt Toxic Guilt/Shame 

Trigger Making a mistake that is within our control. Feeling responsible for something beyond our control. 

Self-Message "I made a mistake." "I am a mistake/failure." 

Result Self-improvement & responsibility. Depression, anxiety, & mental paralysis. 

 

Psychological Conclusion

Psychology teaches the concept of Radical Acceptance:

 

- Acknowledging limitations is a sign of mental health, not weakness.

- Humans have cognitive, emotional, and physical limits.

- Blaming people (or yourself) for absolute inability is a form of cognitive distortion (irrational thinking).

 

Humans deserve to be forgiven for their limitations. Perfection is not a requirement for being a valuable human being."

The habit of people who like to dominate conversations

  Hi, today I would like to share the interesting topic namely "the habit of people who like to dominate conversations", the main reason why I choose that topic because not everyone is aware about the topic once they are talking with others, sometimes there are types of people who don't care who they are talking to, moreover, they also do not adjust to the conditions of the person they are talking to, The psychological view on the habit of people who like to dominate conversations (conversation monopolization) is that this behavior is often rooted in certain personality factors, motivations, and psychological needs, and can negatively impact social interactions.

 

In general, this dominating behavior indicates an imbalance in communication and can make the other person feel ignored or unappreciated.

 

🧐 Underlying Psychological Factors

The habit of dominating conversations can be caused by various factors, including:

 

1. - Need for Validation and Attention: Someone may talk excessively to gain approval, recognition, or attention from others. For them, attention is an affirmation (validation) that they are valued and important.

2. - Low Self-Esteem: Although they may appear confident, some people use conversation domination as a defense mechanism. They control the narrative and information shared to avoid criticism, judgment, or vulnerability.

3. - Narcissistic Traits: In more extreme cases, this behavior can be associated with Narcissistic Personality. Narcissistic individuals tend to have a sense of superiority, an excessive focus on themselves, and consider their ideas/opinions more important.

4. - Social Anxiety: Ironically, some people talk incessantly to avoid silence or social anxiety. They fill every gap in the conversation because they feel anxious or afraid that silence will cause them to lose the opportunity to speak or their ideas will be forgotten (cognitive impatience).

5. - Excessive Enthusiasm or Lack of Self-Awareness: Sometimes, this behavior arises from great enthusiasm for a topic or a lack of awareness of non-verbal cues (body language, expressions) from the other person who wants to interrupt or respond.

 

🗣️ Characteristics of Dominating Behavior

People who dominate conversations typically exhibit the following characteristics:

 

- Frequently Interrupting: They find it difficult to restrain themselves and often cut off other people's conversations to immediately convey their ideas or opinions.

- Focus on Themselves: The topic of conversation tends to revolve back to their own experiences, achievements, or opinions.

- Lack of Active Listening: They may appear to be listening, but are actually just waiting for their turn to speak or formulating a response, rather than understanding other people's perspectives.

- Wanting to Control the Direction of the Conversation: They try to steer the discussion topic to areas they master or want, ignoring topics brought up by others.

 

📉 Social Impact

From a social psychology perspective, the habit of dominating can damage relationships and group interactions. Others tend to feel uncomfortable, ignored, or unappreciated, which can ultimately lead to the dominating person being shunned in social circles, even though the initial intention may have only been to share or interact.

 

Understanding this can help individuals with this habit to practice more balanced communication skills, such as listening actively and giving space to others."

Does everyone have the right to be a righteous person?

  

   Hi, today I would like to share about the interesting topic, namely "Does everyone have the right to be a righteous person?" The main reason why I choose that topic because not everyone braves enough to learn something from the wrongdoings and how they leave their old behavior to shape new one, To be a righteous person, we must admit our mistakes first, after that we leave those mistakes permanently and start new habits. In general, in the context of human rights and self-potential, everyone has the right to live a life that is right and to have views that they consider right. However, the meaning of "a righteous person" varies greatly depending on the lens used.

 

Here is a review from a psychological perspective: 

Psychological View of the Concept of "Righteous Person" 

The science of psychology tends not to use the term "righteous person" in an absolute moral or spiritual sense. Instead, psychology focuses more on the concepts of adaptive behavior, mental health, emotional maturity, and morality based on cognitive and social development.

 

Psychology views that individuals have the potential to develop in a better direction (self-actualization) and make ethical choices, but rejects the single concept of absolute truth.

 

1. Behavior Considered "Right" Psychologically

 

In psychology, characteristics that are considered to contribute to well-being and healthy social functioning (often broadly associated with living life "right") include:

 

- Integrity and Authenticity: Living in harmony between self-values (internal) and actions (external).

- Empathy and Moral Compass: The ability to understand and feel the feelings of others, and to act in accordance with socially accepted moral standards to avoid harm to oneself and others.

- Resilience and Adaptability: Being able to cope with life's pressures and learn from mistakes (maturity).

- Self-Awareness (Metacognitive): The ability to reflect on one's own thoughts and actions.

 

2. Criticism of "Feeling the Most Righteous"

 

On the other hand, psychology is very critical of the concept of "feeling the most righteous" (often referred to as self-righteousness or God Complex). This attitude is seen as maladaptive behavior and can actually damage interpersonal well-being.

 

Negative Characteristics of "Feeling the Most Righteous":

 

- Cognitive Bias: Tend to only accept information that supports one's own views (Confirmation Bias) and ignore conflicting evidence.

- Egoscentism and Lack of Empathy: Difficulty seeing from other people's perspectives and the belief that their views are the only valid ones.

- Defense Mechanism: Often a psychological shield to protect vulnerable self-esteem (deep insecurity).

- Rejection of Criticism: Viewing criticism as a personal attack, which hinders personal growth and the ability to learn from mistakes.

 

⚖️ Conclusion

 

In essence, in psychology, what is more important than being a "righteous person" is being a whole (holistic), self-aware, and adaptive person, who is open to the possibility that they may be wrong and continuously strives to grow."