How Does the Brain Change to Form New Habits?

How the Brain Forms New Habits is No Walk in Griffith Park

Have you ever been to Griffith Park in the heart of Los Angeles? When you are there, it feels like the luxury hiking experience you never knew you needed. 

There are multiple paths that are wide and easy to walk along, there are railings to hold as you explore Fern Dell, there are benches everywhere, and hey there is even a cafe you can go to if you need a pastry. The forest on the way to the historic Griffith Observatory is meticulously maintained, allowing people of every age to enjoy being out in nature. 

Now, have you ever had to cut down brush to carve your own path? That is the exact opposite of Griffith Park. It is thick with plants, hard to maneuver, frustrating to deal with, and often leaves you with a few scrapes. 

If you had to choose which trail to follow, chances are that you will likely choose Griffith Park. It turns out that changing habits works the same way.

Habits Create Well-Worn Pathways—Similar to Those in Griffith Park

When we form a habit, we create a trail like Griffith Parks in our brain. The neural pathway is well-traveled, easy to navigate, requires little to no thinking, and we tend to gravitate toward that path. 

Changing habits is like cutting down brush: hard, frustrating, and tends to leave us feeling wounded. 

It's no wonder we often choose the path of least resistance and that changing habits is so complicated. If I had to choose between Griffith Park and the unblazed path, I might choose the unblazed path at first, but then I would probably end up back at Griffith Park without much persuasion.

Leaning into Old Habits vs Nurturing New Habits

But what happens when we don’t tend to Griffith Park? If there were no caretakers, the paths would start to rot, the trees and plants would grow over the planks, and it would eventually become unmanageable. 

What happens when you start to pay attention to that brush-filled path? It starts to become easier to travel, more manageable, and we are less prone to scrapes and cuts. 

When we nurture a new habit by intentionally making changes, focusing on changing our mindset around the habit, and becoming consistent in working on developing it, we start to make the brush-filled path more like Griffith Park. One day, it might even be the new Griffith Park, a path that is easy to travel and the direction we gravitate toward without even thinking.

How to Change Not Just Your Habits

Changing habits is hard, though. We tend to gravitate toward the path of least resistance, and a new habit is not that path. It requires commitment, focus, and practice. 

Maybe you want to replace watching an episode of TV with reading a chapter of a book. Your natural habit is to finish up your tasks for the day, get into comfy clothes, sit on the couch, and turn on the TV. It’s easy, it’s routine, it’s your Griffith Park. 

Starting to read a chapter of a book every night isn’t as easy; it’s not your natural state—it’s a brush-filled path. 

Slowly Changing Routines & Habits Can Look Like…

But what happens when you leave the book on the couch so you remember that is your goal? That’s a whack at one of the overgrown plants. 

You sit down on the couch in your usual spot and instead sit on the book, which causes you to pick it up and think about starting to read it. Whack. 

You put the book down, but then you tell yourself one chapter and then TV, so you pick the book back up. Whack. 

Your mind starts to wander as you are reading and wondering what is happening with your favorite characters, but you remind yourself you can watch an episode of TV when this chapter is done. Whack. 

When you focus consistently on developing a new habit, you are whacking down the brush every time. Eventually, your new habit is just that—a habit, and you don’t need to set your little tricks to remind yourself that this is the habit you are working on developing. You are already there.

Shifting Your Mindset & Beliefs to Support the Habit Change

The same applies to changing our mindset about harder things. Did you recently discover that a friend had a birthday party and you weren’t invited? Does your mind go straight to “they don’t like me,” “I’m nothing to them, and they will never invite me anywhere again,” or “well, screw them, I’m going to get a whole new group of friends”? 

Do any of those beliefs feel actually true? 

Could there be another truth that you aren’t thinking about? 

Is it possible that they had accidentally forgotten to include you in the text? 

Or maybe they had asked their partner to text you, but the partner had heard them say that they had already texted you the invite? 

Or perhaps they texted your partner, and your partner had just missed the text?

There are always other possibilities out there. Changing the self-defeating/negative self-talk requires that you start to think about what the other possibilities are. Whack. 

It is hard, it is frustrating, and you will probably have some metaphorical scrapes and cuts along the way, but eventually, you will notice that you stop going down the negative self-talk path and create a neural pathway that allows you to not think it is because your friends hate you but start to realize there could be another truth. 

Congratulations, you have created your own Griffith Park.

How Can Therapy Support Changing Your Habits, Mindset, & Beliefs?

If you're finding it challenging to change your habits or mindset, working with a therapist can provide the support and guidance you need. 

Therapists are skilled in helping individuals navigate the difficult terrain of habit change and negative self-talk. By searching for a therapist near you, you can find a professional who understands your unique struggles and can help you create new, healthier pathways. 

Whether you're looking for cognitive-behavioral therapy, mindfulness-based therapy, or another approach, the right therapist can make a significant difference in your journey toward personal growth and mental well-being.

Start your therapy journey with Foothills Psychotherapy in Burbank, CA

If you are ready to create your own Griffith Park trail today, one of our therapists in Burbank, CA can help you to find peace and calm again. 

All of our therapists are trained in Brainspotting which is a great intervention for reprocessing those neural pathways. Reach out to get connected with one of our other qualified therapists quickly!