It’s a brand new year and a brand new semester starts today. Right now is a wonderful time for reflection on all of the things you did last year and how you can improve your self. Reflecting back on your year/semester can uncover a lot of the things you did not even notice, it can uncover good habits and it uncover bad ones as well. 

A habit is defined as a routine of behavior that is repeated regularly and tends to occur unconsciously.

Habits can take form in a variety of different ways, and these behaviors become so automatic that we don’t even realize it. A habit can look like smoking a cigarette anytime you are stressed or playing basketball whenever you are upset.

Habits are formed because the habitual activity changes neural patterns in a specific region of the brain. The neural patterns are established in the Basal Ganglia, which also appears to be critical for addiction and procedural learning.

Some ways of getting control over your particularly bad habits are; understanding what is causing the habit, setting reasonable goals for yourself and seeking additional support.