The problem with habits is you can never change them, but you can modify them! Every time you experience stress (the cue), your body is going to want you to act to reduce that stress (the reward). But the good news is, you can always change your behavioral response to the cues.
How to Change Your Actions
I used to get so upset when I got stuck in traffic during my Tuesday evening commute that I’d stop to buy french fries on my way home to help lift my spirits before grumpy Megan got home and alienated her family. Well, traffic on Tuesdays across Highway 401 in Toronto was only getting worse, and I was becoming more irate week by week, but I was also becoming fat and diabetic. I couldn’t continue to eat fries to calm myself down, and I certainly didn’t want to alienate my family.Taking an action that wasn’t eating was out of the question at this point. I was such a regular at one drive-thru the woman who worked the 6 p.m. shift called me “baby doll.” Also, I was saturated with insulin and hungry all the time. By the time I became diabetic, even things like date cookies, which previously grossed me right out, seemed appealing.
