I don’t know about you, but sometimes throughout my day, I have a moment where I stop and think about what it is I am doing because part of me does not remember making the decision to do it in the first place. Some of these behaviors or actions I find myself doing are productive, some are neutral, and some are ones that I wish I didn’t do as much, especially without thinking about it. According to the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, about 43% of what most people do every day is out of habit (Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, Vol. 83, No. 6, 2002). This is almost half of your daily life decided for you based on routine. Once again, if you are anything like me, there are parts of that 43% that I would rather be different, so here are some tips to better understand how habits work.

It remains uncertain how long this pandemic will last or the true impact it will have. Additionally, we still know little about the virus itself and how it impacts our daily lives moving forward. We still need to figure out what concerns we should have, as there are so many unknowns. However, what we do know right now is that everyone is impacted by this pandemic. Thus, it is time for us all to come together for a common goal, and utilize positive coping strategies to work through the present moment and any negative feelings that arise. This notion also gives comfort as we know we are not alone, we are all experiencing this.