Question: Why do old, negative habits return when I’m under pressure?

Answer: It’s natural for old habits, mental and physical, to return when a person has experienced stress or distress. The subconscious tends to use all its resources to deal with the current challenge, and has little energy left for a person’s new habits unless the person is very careful, aware, and disciplined. If you succumb to the old habits, once you realize it, you can re-dedicate yourself to your new, more positive habits.

Instead of wasting energy berating yourself, consider this a time when you’re strengthening your resolve and getting back on track. As a person reestablishes their new behaviors, those strategies tend to become stronger and more powerful.

I consider it more a practice than a relearning. You just forgot to practice what you know when the pressure got too great. We all do this from time to time. But each time we practice, it creates a deeper impression on the subconscious, and becomes easier to remember the next time the lesson comes around.

Copyright 2004, 2013 Linda Ann Stewart
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