Some bad habits are small. Some feel harmless. But over time, they add up, and suddenly you’re wondering how you ended up here.
Now, a neurologist says three simple tricks can help break the cycles that quietly take over our lives.
Dr Arif Khan, a pediatric neurologist, outlined ‘cue shift,’ the ‘one-step rule’ and ‘reward rewrite’ as practical tools to stop negative patterns in their tracks.
‘Have you ever noticed how your day starts?’ Khan asks in a YouTube video on his channel, The Brain Project.
‘You open your eyes, and your hands already know what to do. Same apps, same path to the kitchen, same routines you never actually chose.
‘It feels automatic because, well, it is. Habits aren’t a personality trait, they’re neural shortcuts your brain builds to save energy.’
Khan said a habit begins with a cue, a feeling or trigger, and the key is to notice what happens just before the behavior so you can interrupt the pattern and choose a different response.
He also recommended breaking big goals into one small, doable step and replacing the old reward with a new one, like a deep breath or a moment of pride, so the brain still receives a satisfying payoff.
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On his YouTube channel, Khan broke down how the brain forms new behaviors.
He explains that once the brain develops a mental shortcut, it tends to rely on it, even if the shortcut is harmful.
‘Once your brain creates a shortcut, it loves using it, even when that shortcut works against you,’ Khan said.
Experts say this is because the brain prefers the path of least resistance.
Relying on familiar routines takes less energy than thinking through new decisions or planning for the unexpected. In other words, the brain likes to stay on autopilot, UpWorthy reported.
That is why trying to change a behavior can feel so difficult, it interrupts a smooth, well-worn neural pathway and forces the brain to work harder.
‘Deep inside your brain is a structure called the basal ganglia. Think of it like the autopilot system,’ said Khan.
‘When you repeat a behavior enough times, this part of the brain saves it as a pattern.’
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When your brain sees something it has done before, it assumes it is easy and repeats it, the neurologist added.
‘This isn’t a lack of willpower, this is straight up biology,’ Khan said before sharing the tricks to help break habits.
He first mentioned cue shift, urging people to be aware of the moment they get the urge.
‘The real work happens earlier. Ask yourself, what happens right before the habit?’ Khan asked.
‘What were you feeling then? What were you avoiding then?’
The key is identifying the emotion or trigger that occurs right before the behavior, because that’s the moment you can break the automatic loop, he explained.
Once you recognize that feeling, you create a pause, and that pause gives you the chance to pick a different response.
The next step, the one-step rule, focuses on setting realistic goals so as not overload the brain.
‘Your brain doesn’t resist change because it’s lazy. It resists change when the change feels too big,’ Khan said.
‘The part of your brain that manages planning and discipline, the prefrontal cortex, gets tired easily.
‘So when a task feels overwhelming, your brain defaults straight back to the old pattern. Here’s the fix: Shrink the task. Not to make it easier, but to make it neurologically doable. Just one step, like reading one page.
‘Do one push-up. Write one sentence. Drink one glass of water.’
The neurologist then finished with reward rewrite, noting that habits persist because we feel rewarded due to a release of dopamine.
‘To break the habit, you don’t remove the reward. You tend to replace it, and after the new behavior, give your brain something meaningful,’ said Khan.
‘A deep breath, a moment of pride, “I did it!” A physical gesture, like placing your hand on your chest. Here’s the truth: Your old habits were built by accident. Your new ones will be built by awareness.’
