Habit stacking: Wiring wellness habits into daily routine

A habit formation technique known as habit stacking may help individuals reach their health and wellness goals.

Individuals with ambitious goals often struggle to maintain new habits because of their reliance on self-motivation, according to a news article from The Washington Post. Experts cited in the article explained that behavioral therapists use habit stacking to help individuals pick up desired habits and meet their goals by anchoring the new habit to one that’s already established.

The success of the practice involves a structured implementation plan. For instance, individuals should create a small but specific, tangible and achievable habit rooted in an exact time and place. The experts emphasized that individuals are more likely to adhere to cue-driven and consistent habits because the brain may develop a neural pathway through repetition and incremental changes. After associating the new behavior with a reliable cue, the new habit will eventually become part of the daily routine.

Read more: The Washington Post

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