Reward-based learning helped early humans survive. But in modern times, the same brain mechanisms can trap us in unhealthy habits. Recognizing that we have both an "impulsive self" and a "wise self" we must foster self-compassion while making healthier choices. Following can help change bad habits for the better. Reframing healthy behaviors as "rewards,“ Building in hard stops, and Practicing mindfulness Are following habits good for us ? Certainly not “play next episode” on Netflix or any other game on net till late in the night Checking social media and surfing the web for “just a few more minutes” when you are required to other things Having “just a few more sweets” even though you are quite full or diabetic.  Checking phones continually Unnecessarily you feel something is wrong with you(Self doubt)

1. Compiled by Col Mukteshwar Prasad(Retd),
MTech,CE(I),FIE(I),FIETE,FISLE,FInstOD,AMCSI
Contact -+919007224278, e-mail
muktesh_prasad@yahoo.co.in
for book ”Decoding Services Selection Board” and SSB
guidance and training at Shivnandani Edu and Defence
Academy
Unhelpful Behaviour
Ref-Blog in internet

2. Introduction
 KEY POINTS
 Reward-based learning helped early humans survive.
 But in modern times, the same brain mechanisms can trap us in
unhealthy habits.
 Recognizing that we have both an "impulsive self" and a "wise self" we
must foster self-compassion while making healthier choices.
 Following can help change bad habits for the better.
 Reframing healthy behaviors as "rewards,“
 Building in hard stops, and
 Practicing mindfulness
 Are following habits good for us ? Certainly not
 “play next episode” on Netflix or any other game on net till late in the night
 Checking social media and surfing the web for “just a few more minutes”
when you are required to other things
 Having “just a few more sweets” even though you are quite full or diabetic.
 Checking phones continually
 Unnecessarily you feel something is wrong with you(Self doubt)

3. Why It's So Hard to Stop Doing Something That's Bad for
You
 Hard wired by BIOLOGY helped our ancestor to survive
 Reward-based learning (seeking what is pleasurable and avoiding what
is painful) as evolutionary strategy for human species
 Pursuing things that felt good (such as sex or good-tasting food) and
 Avoiding pain (e.g., getting bitten by a snake, or getting sick from a
poisonous plant)
 From neuroscience perspective ,Stanford University health psychologist Kelly
McGonigal we have two competing selves controlled by different parts of
our brain.
 Impulsive self –
 Wants immediate gratification,
 Controlled by the midbrain (responsible for our fight-or-flight response)
 “wise self”
 Wants what is best for our long-term well-being and
 Can hold a wider perspective (controlled by the medial prefrontal
cortex).
 To change a behavior (in this case stopping something that is
unhelpful) amounts to conflict in our two competing parts of our brain

4. Strategies for Stopping Unhelpful Behaviors
 1. Be aware, be curious.
 Bring mindful awareness to your behavior to observe what is happening
in each unfolding moment, in order to interrupt an automatic behavior.
 Pair this awareness with a genuine curiosity about
 What is happening,
 How it is happening, and
 The consequences of this particular behavior.
 Judson Brewer, in his research on how to interrupt habit loops, has found that
mindful awareness and the essential element of curiosity are key
ingredients for changing behaviors, including strong addictions.
 Anxious feeling “I will miss out something if I do not do this “ propels a
person to have a look at mail /social media one more time even before a
scheduled meeting.
 Strong reward at the moment
 But high stress, anxiety, and frustration because one may get late
for appointment

5. Strategies for Stopping Unhelpful Behaviors
 1. Be aware…… late for appointment
 Am stressed because mind wandered last time on scheduled Flight
training and expect its repeat again
 Last wander may have been because of
 Not very interesting topic or very new or difficult topic
 Instructor’s lack of skill to make the topic interesting
 Lack of attention due to variety of reasons
 Self doubt that Mind will wander again
 Self doubt that I can concentrate on only one event not on many
as expected in a cockpit
 Getting in negative feedback loop puts one under severe pressure
as a result one fails to concentrate and pay attention blaming
oneself in spite of enough capabilities-(Imposter Syndrome- You’re
convinced that you’re unworthy of an accomplishment, accolade or
position. You fear that any minute all your “faking” will be found out).

6. Strategies for Stopping Unhelpful Behaviors
 2. Be intentional- Create hard stops.
 Identify what isn’t working for you, see where you might need to create a
“hard stop” for disengaging from unhelpful behaviors.
 A hard stop involves
 A commitment to drawing a firm line for yourself,
 Willingness to tolerate immediate discomfort in exchange for long-
term well-being.
 Don’t just have a vague wish to change a behavior—
 Have a concrete plan that can be implemented consistently and
 Put in place anything that will aid you and make it easier to follow
through.
 For example, if you want to go to bed by 10:30 and you know you get caught
in TV shows that are hard to disconnect from,
 Decide exactly what and how much you are going to watch before turn the
TV on.
 Figure out when you need to stop to give yourself enough time to unwind
 Set an alarm for the time you decide the TV will be turned off(If you have
facility).

7. Strategies for Stopping Unhelpful Behaviors
 2. Be intentional- Create hard stops. …..
 A very intelligent officer undergoing Pilot training complained that he is
unable to concentrate on more than one item
 Psychological conditions that can interfere with concentration include
 Anxiety,
 Depression,
 Bipolar disorder,
 Emotional trauma, and
 Stress.
 Lack of self belief
 Worries can be reduced
 Letting go-Not everything is under your control .Que sera, Sera.What
will be will be?
 Thought stopping- Tell your self to stop and do something
pleasurable or constructive
 Becoming too busy

8. Strategies for Stopping Unhelpful Behaviors
 3. Flip it. Work with your reward system.
 Think hard stop as adding something rather than taking away .
 Think and focus on the reward of this hard stop,
 Identify what you want to move toward (rather than focusing on what you
have to move away from).
 Instead of focusing on “I have to turn the TV off at 10:00” focus on the fact
that “I get to have a good night’s sleep tonight, give my body the rest it
needs, and be my best self tomorrow.”
 A natural reward for yourself.
 Wandering of mind is quite natural while training like pilot training.
Relax and take it in stride. Have faith in yourself. Becoming a good pilot
with happy mind enjoying the training is a natural reward.
 4. Rehearse. Strengthen the reward.
 Visualize the outcome and take a moment to feel any positive emotions
 For example, you might visualize turning off the TV saying getting a good
night’s sleep, waking up refreshed and energized.
 Create a positive emotion in your body
 Relaxed Pilot training without stress will give many positive vive

9. Strategies for Stopping Unhelpful Behaviors
 5. Treat the “old” brain like a small child, with a firm hand of self-
compassion.
 Engaging the “firm hand of self-compassion.”
 Self-compassion versus self-criticism is much more motivating in
changing behaviors.
 However, sometimes it can be helpful to engage a firm (but still caring)
compassionate voice.
 Parent needs to be willing to tolerate the child’s upset in the service of what
they know is best for the child done firmly but lovingly.
 Impulsive self wanting immediate gratification be treated as a small
child that needs to be guided in a nurturing way.
 Our ability to learn new things and use reward-based learning to our
advantage is also part of our evolutionary inheritance.
 Think with awareness and dedication difficult task/training like pilot can
made more enjoybla rather than taxiing

10. Strategies for Stopping Unhelpful Behaviors
 6.Self Efficacy
According to Albert Bandura, self-efficacy is
“the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to
manage prospective situations”
 Psychological Responses
 Our own responses and emotional reactions to situations also play an important role
in self-efficacy.
 Moods, emotional states, physical reactions, and stress levels can all
impact how a person feels about their personal abilities in a
particular situation.
 A person who becomes extremely nervous before speaking in
public/while pilot training may develop a weak sense of self-efficacy
in these situations.
 However, Bandura also notes "it is not the sheer intensity of emotional and
physical reactions that is important but rather how they are perceived and
interpreted."
 By learning how to minimize stress and elevate mood when facing difficult or
challenging tasks, people can improve their sense of self-efficacy.

11. Strategies for Stopping Unhelpful Behaviors
 7. Some problems can be solved best by taking a break from trying to
solve them called “incubation effect.”
 Our brain is an amazing machine that is always working on many things at
once.
 Our conscious experience of thought, which generally runs along a single
track rather than many at once, reflects only a small portion of what the brain
is doing.
 Freud was right: The conscious mind is just the tip of the iceberg.
 Apparently, when we stop thinking consciously about the problem that we
have been unable to solve, the unconscious mind takes the problem on
and continues to work on it in some way—not through the logical means
of the conscious mind, but through some other kind of logic.
 Rather than having fixed attention allow mind to wander which is more
likely to allow the unconscious mechanisms to take over and solve a
problem.
 8.Bringing back Wandering mind to Focus-
 It is difficult to remain focussed beyond few minutes say 15 min
 Once you notice your mind wandering concentrate on your breath to