Forming new habits

[Rebis]

I want to address the difficulties of forming new habits and eradicating past habits through a process called myelination.

Myelination essentially insulates a nerve's axon (an axon being the bridge between neurons), this insulation allows the electrical signal to be sent at high speeds at a ratio of 100:1. What we know of any neurological transmission is faster is better. Due to the speed of these myelinated axons they are utilised whenever possible. However, this changes when we consider the role of catecholamine transmission such as dopamine.

Myelinated dopaminergic axons are used so the brain can reward the user quickly with a dopaminergic burst. In the role of habit formation in this reward system while Alcohol and High-sugar content have natural addictive properties (Alcohol a functional SSRI, simple carbohydrates hit the dopaminergic system rapidly). So when our habits are related to processes of sugar consumption, alcohol or any other drugs for that matter, or even sex/gambling addicts, if the nerve bindings that produce this dopaminergic response are myelinated, compared to an unmyelinated hobby like reading a book then our brain is going to make the hobby of reading way less pleasurable and it going to seek a more efficient stimulus. This is where habits as a product of myelination can regulate our basic enjoyment of simpler things, instead seeking super-stimulus.

So what can we do to change bad habits? Firstly, increase Myelination by starving previous myelinated dopamine circuits of stimulus. This will make us feel like death as if we're extracting water from a rock. The brain will constantly urge us to rely on previous myelinated circuits so we can feel happy. You feel shit? Brain: Just play a few video games. You hate studying? Brain: Just eat a packet of biscuits, don't stress yourself out. The brain does not want to go through a long and arduous process of myelinated new axons because this is inefficient and neurogenesis is a slower process with age with most people's potential for neurogenesis being capped by stress, along with neuroplasticity to model their day around new activities that finalize as habbits.

Demyelination isn't a process we can effectively switch between like inflammatory diets helping to replicate helathy cells to replace disease ridden ones, unless you want an inselective MS to do your bidding on every axon it finds. So just think next time you feel like shit because you're trying to form a new habit or trying to eradicate an old habit that you're supposed to feel like shit, that is the mechanism for growth. You're starving the brain from using old resources and propegating new circuits.

In addition to myelinated axons, dopamine surges through these quickfire electrical circuits all the time. Super-stimulating events such as eating a buttload of sugar at once, having crazy sex, watching the most fantasical taboo porn video or slowly switching your media content from 6/10 movies to only the best high-production movies in existence can causes an axonal surge, this surge reduces your bodies reabsorption of dopamine by closing the synapses between the axons of a nerve connection which causes less dopamine to be recieved. This dopamine will effect the production of Androgen receptors that affect testosterone production. Testosterone is healthy for males in suppression estrogen production, and anti-androgens are taken by females to suppress testosterone and cause an increase in estrogen.

Mind over matter. No pain no gain. Plan for the long-term not the short-term.

Is anyone forming new habits? Comment below.

 

[peoplesuck]

Not sure if you're gong to see this but,
Ive made it a habit to start my day immediately with a freezing shower. I am one of those people that has issues waking up i the morning, because im naturally nocturnal, and working nights reinforced that. freezing water does the trick, once you do it a few times, you will noticed you never feel worse after. never, its always a great feeling stepping out.
I plan on journaling before bed, in norwegian, to get my thoughts out and practice.
If my heart would fucking allow it, I would be hitting the gym 4 times per week, and running a mile every morning. its killing me to be so static, Im one of those people that needs to move or I become very antsy and uneasy.
I want to learn to listen better, its a habit, not allowing myself to accidentally shut people down to talk about things I find more interesting.
I need to get in the habit of taking up new habits to replace old ones. I used to escape reality with games, then youtube, now here we are. I sort of exist at this point.
jesus life is busy, how do people do it?

I always thought it was long term potentiation that had to do with habits, I doubt I would remember though, I read that book like 4 years ago.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

I remember this one girl who was a roomie of mine, she was a bit chubby and decided to lose some weight. So one morning at like 6AM I'm looking out the window and suddenly I see this girl outside running. Apparently she went from having no workout regime to going military-style training at 5AM every morning. Needless to say that whole plan came to an end within a couple of weeks.

it's a classic that I've seen over and over again with other people. People get all inspired for some reason and in a surge of motivation start doing something very different and unsustainable, and subsequently revert back a few weeks later. Forming new habits happens slowly, bit by bit where one gradually transforms both the manifest habits and underlying mindset. It might even necessitate philosophical investigations.

 

[Rebis]

I remember this one girl who was a roomie of mine, she was a bit chubby and decided to lose some weight. So one morning at like 6AM I'm looking out the window and suddenly I see this girl outside running. Apparently she went from having no workout regime to going military-style training at 5AM every morning. Needless to say that whole plan came to an end within a couple of weeks.

it's a classic that I've seen over and over again with other people. People get all inspired for some reason and in a surge of motivation start doing something very different and unsustainable, and subsequently revert back a few weeks later. Forming new habits happens slowly, bit by bit where one gradually transforms both the manifest habits and underlying mindset. It might even necessitate philosophical investigations.

It's all about finding the balance between pursuing immediate reward and enabling long-term goals.


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[peoplesuck]

I remember this one girl who was a roomie of mine, she was a bit chubby and decided to lose some weight. So one morning at like 6AM I'm looking out the window and suddenly I see this girl outside running. Apparently she went from having no workout regime to going military-style training at 5AM every morning. Needless to say that whole plan came to an end within a couple of weeks.

it's a classic that I've seen over and over again with other people. People get all inspired for some reason and in a surge of motivation start doing something very different and unsustainable, and subsequently revert back a few weeks later. Forming new habits happens slowly, bit by bit where one gradually transforms both the manifest habits and underlying mindset. It might even necessitate philosophical investigations.

I actually did this stuff for over a month, I had shin splints from day one, I stopped and lost all motivation when I had a heart attack.
I struggle with moderation, I suppose its something to practice.
It was the best time of my life, and my health took it away, at least for now.

 

[redbaron]

lost all motivation when I had a heart attack.

u wot

 

[Rebis]

I remember this one girl who was a roomie of mine, she was a bit chubby and decided to lose some weight. So one morning at like 6AM I'm looking out the window and suddenly I see this girl outside running. Apparently she went from having no workout regime to going military-style training at 5AM every morning. Needless to say that whole plan came to an end within a couple of weeks.

it's a classic that I've seen over and over again with other people. People get all inspired for some reason and in a surge of motivation start doing something very different and unsustainable, and subsequently revert back a few weeks later. Forming new habits happens slowly, bit by bit where one gradually transforms both the manifest habits and underlying mindset. It might even necessitate philosophical investigations.

I think technology plays an easier role in habit formation. Let's say daily reminders to do a task. I removed websites I spent vaccuous time on like facebook and social media in the host file in windows so i can never load the page on my desktop. Now I rarely use facebook because of that. So brute forcing habits, in combination with technology, can eliminate the need for gradual adjustments.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

I think technology plays an easier role in habit formation. Let's say daily reminders to do a task. I removed websites I spent vaccuous time on like facebook and social media in the host file in windows so i can never load the page on my desktop. Now I rarely use facebook because of that. So brute forcing habits, in combination with technology, can eliminate the need for gradual adjustments.

that reminds me lol, every time I'm talking to people about quitting some addiction, starting some workout regime etc, there's always someone who tells me that there's some "app" for it. I don't need no mo goddamn apps, in fact I usually want to smash my phone into little pieces and never see it again.

 

[Hadoblado]

My view is similar to Seracs. People tend to think of willpower and habit-forming as absolute, but gradual improvement over time is king. It's about improving your baseline and adjusting your lifestyle, not about suddenly becoming a perfect specimen overnight.

 

[peoplesuck]

If you actually care to achieve something you will do it the way that makes your success most likely. Slowly but surely is the best method.
The more something becomes a habit, the easier it is, so by gradually increasing, you never experience strain.
I had a rule of reading at the very least 1 page per day of my norwegian book, and I was usually ending up reading a few more. Just doing one page was enough to keep me from feeling I have failed, and it kept me motivated.
I recently wrote out a morning routine, that stopped the first time I missed it, allowing yourself to skip one day can have that effect, strangely. to be fair I skipped it for intimate human interaction, a trade I can live with.

many things go into forming a habit, motivation is definitely not enough.

 

[Rebis]

I think technology plays an easier role in habit formation. Let's say daily reminders to do a task. I removed websites I spent vaccuous time on like facebook and social media in the host file in windows so i can never load the page on my desktop. Now I rarely use facebook because of that. So brute forcing habits, in combination with technology, can eliminate the need for gradual adjustments.

that reminds me lol, every time I'm talking to people about quitting some addiction, starting some workout regime etc, there's always someone who tells me that there's some "app" for it. I don't need no mo goddamn apps, in fact I usually want to smash my phone into little pieces and never see it again.

You seem angry... Y'know there's an app to relieve your anger its called "be unangry"

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[Happy]

In my experience, best way to build habits is to find something in the habit thats’s so fucking ridiculously easy to do that you can’t be excused for not doing it.

For instance. In September of this year, I decided it was time to sort out my excess fat issue. Rather than committing to x amount of time at the gym or y amount of caloric intake per day or whatever, I would instead commit to stepping on the scales and recording the number in my phone every single morning when I woke up. That way, I’d start every day with the habit in mind, and it was so dead simple that it could only go up from there.

I deliberately made it as easy as possible to keep the habit every day. After a few days my phone even automatically created a morning reminder for me, which was a tad creepy, but helpful nonetheless.

Not much happened in the first week or so, but after a few days I started researching and before long I had done my nutrition research and decided on a path of action which would give me the least resistance.

I’ve stuck to that plan since and even fallen off the wagon a couple of times. That didn’t really matter because I didn’t lose the base habit of recording my weight every day, so it was always extremely easy to jump back on.
(at time of writing I’ve recently fallen off since Christmas feasting, but confident I’ll be back onto it shortly)

I’m also not in a rush to get to some certain point. I’m just chipping away slowly. I honestly don’t even pay attention to the numbers or changes, and deliberately don’t share them with anyone. I just had a look now and I’m currently sitting at a loss of about 7kg (15 lbs). That’s about halfway to my loose goal.

Spoiler

I had the idea after reading a book about a year or so ago called Atomic Habits by James Clear (gimmicky sounding book that is actually fucking amazing btw). In one of the book’s case studies, someone formed a daily gym habit by putting on gym clothes after work each day, and then working up to small amounts of exercise, and letting the habit grow from there (IIRC... details hazy RN). I took that and adapted it to my own needs.

This doesn’t have a lot to do with OP discussion about myelination, but whatevs, I felt like sharing.

 

[Polaris]

I've been unlearning a few habits which is unfortunate. But shouldn't be too hard getting back into it as I have familiarised myself with the routines before. But instead I have actually been more creative in the artistic department. I'm learning how to draw using digital media, which has been a bitch of a learning curve, and also practicing playing on my new weighted keyboard which have worked wonders for my incessant restlessness.

I have research projects that have been badly neglected, but once I sit down and get started it's usually not too hard to get sucked back in.

I think I have been needing the rest after years of hard work and study, to be honest.

 

[Rebis]

Been irritable A LOT recently, for no justifiable reason. I've been dropping a lot of bad habits, holding on to this myelination process as a guiding light, the irony.

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

I haven’t taken any nicotine this year. Has made me sleepy af, been taking naps all the time lol.

 

[Rebis]

I haven’t taken any nicotine this year. Has made me sleepy af, been taking naps all the time lol.

Similar situation. I didn't do much yesterday on modafinil, but today I feel energised even with horrible weather. Are you intentionally trying to quit the nicotine?

Also stopped talking L theanine which is blended into my Acetylcholine stack so I think that's helping

 

[Ex-User (14663)]

@Rebis yeah trying to quit the nicotine, don’t like the dirty feeling I get from it

I remember that time I quit everything - nicotine and caffeine for a couple of months. Felt nice as hell, very smooth and stable mental state throughout the day. But then one gets a taste of caffeine once and feels like a superstar, and then we’re back to the chemical life again.

 

[Rebis]

But then one gets a taste of caffeine once and feels like a superstar, and then we’re back to the chemical life again.

It's showtime baby.

 

[Happy]

@Rebis yeah trying to quit the nicotine, don’t like the dirty feeling I get from it

I remember that time I quit everything - nicotine and caffeine for a couple of months. Felt nice as hell, very smooth and stable mental state throughout the day. But then one gets a taste of caffeine once and feels like a superstar, and then we’re back to the chemical life again.