Help Self Shelf: Atomic Habits by James Clear
Atomic Habits by James Clear
Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about habits: how to create habits, how to break habits, and how to sustain habits.
Forming healthy habits in several different areas of your life can serve as a strong foundation for one’s holistic wellbeing, which includes mental and physical health. People come to therapy for all different reasons, and most of the time are looking to make big changes in their life. A lot of the time, the root of these changes can boil down to tweaks that are made in their habits.
Atomic Habits by James Clear, is the bible for information on how to create and sustain healthy habits, and how to break habits that no longer serve you. This book is packed with wisdom, and since discovering it in 2020, I have read it three times and refer to it whenever I feel like I’m in a rut. Here’s why it sits high on my recommendations from my Help Self Shelf to yours:
Clear’s Explanation of the Laws of Behavior Change: Clear starts off by examining the simple formula for behavior change and either creating or breaking habits. You can apply this to any habit you want to add to your life.
Creating Habits: Laws of behavior change: make it obvious, make it attractive, make it easy, and make it satisfying.
example: I want to start taking a B-Vitamin every morning. I make it obvious by putting the vitamin on the kitchen counter next to the coffee, I make it attractive by taking the vitamin when I have my coffee (because I am already excited about coffee), I make it easy by having the supplement bottle in plain sight and accessible, and I make it satisfying by pairing it with the coffee.
Breaking Habits: Laws of behavior change: make it hidden, make it unattractive, make it challenging, and make it unsatisfying.
example: I want to reduce the time I spend watching TV each night, so I log out of my Netflix account when I am done watching TV. Then, if I want to watch TV, I have to login to my Netflix account which has upper and lowercase letters in the password, which is annoying to me and causes friction. In this situation, I am following behaviors laws by making (my password} hidden and challenging, which makes the ease of turning on Netflix unattractive and the friction unsatisfying.
Habits are freedom: the more we can automate our habits, the more energy and time our brain conserves. Our brain requires less energy when we are on autopilot, and therefore, when we can automate the things that we need to do on a daily or weekly basis, we have more time for hobbies and activities that are less habitual, like spending time with friends or family.
How to sustain your habits through your identity: we are more likely to stick to a habit when we identify as the kind of person who does that habit. The example Clear uses to illustrate an identity based habit, is in this response when offered a cigarette: “No thanks, I don’t smoke” vs. “No thanks, I’m trying to quit smoking.” The former identifies as someone who does not smoke, and is assertive in his response. The latter still believes he is a smoker and therefore the response is somehow less confident than that of the former. Identity based habits are the deepest layer of habit formation, and the one that likely will make your habits stick long-term.
Habit stacking, 2-Minute Rule, Environment Priming, Repetition over Perfection and other Tips for Habits: Clear’s book offers incredible tips and tools for setting healthy habits. He has gotten me to clean my cat’s litterbox on a daily basis (I stack it between getting home from my workout and showering), as well as fighting procrastination (if I start a task and do it for 2 minutes and don’t want to keep going I’ll stop…. but I usually keep going). He has helped me become more consistent in my writing practice through priming my environment and prioritizing my daily journaling practice even if I don’t feel like I have anything to say (repetition over perfection). These tips have been powerful tools for my own mental health journey.
If you’re looking for a self-help book that will give you hacks and tips to improve your mental health, day-to-day functioning, elevate your morning routine, and help you develop coping skills for ADHD this book is incredible. You can purchase a copy of Atomic Habits at your local book store, and be sure to check out James Clear’s website and sign up for his weekly newsletter, and read other blog posts I’ve written about how his writing has helped improve my mental health and daily routine.
Emily is a therapist who specializes in working with mental health in young adults — specifically in college students, graduate students, and young professionals undergoing stress, depression, and anxiety. With over ten years of working with students of all ages, from international high school students to college students and to adult English learners, Emily understands the unique challenges that high achieving individuals face when it comes to balancing their mental health and prioritizing their goals. From balancing the demands of her own educational and career journey to navigating the changes and transitions that come with each stage of adulthood, she provides a compassionate and non-judgmental space for early adults, young professionals, and college students to explore their feelings and experiences while learning skills and strategies to support their mental health and overall wellbeing.
Emily’s approach is rooted in evidence-based therapies, including cognitive-behavioral therapy (CBT), dialectical behavioral therapy (DBT), mindfulness-based therapy, and motivational interview (MI) while using a trauma-informed feminist lens. Emily is dedicated to empowering individuals better understand their mental health, learn to cope with the ups and downs, and understand their sense of purpose.
