1. About prompts (triggers)
Prompts are stimuli that trigger a specific behavior or response. They can come from a variety of sources and can be external (such as environmental cues) or internal (such as thoughts, feelings, or memories). Remember that prompts can come from a variety of sources, and it's important to pay attention to the different types of prompts that influence your behavior. By doing so, you can gain a better understanding of the factors that trigger your habits and develop strategies to change unhealthy habits and establish new, healthier ones.
Here are some examples of different types of prompts:
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Environmental cues: These are external stimuli that trigger a behavior. For example, the smell of coffee might prompt you to make a cup of coffee in the morning, or seeing a bag of chips on the kitchen counter might prompt you to eat a snack.
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Emotional prompts: These are internal stimuli that are related to your emotions. For example, feeling stressed or anxious might prompt you to engage in a coping behavior such as eating comfort food, smoking a cigarette, or procrastinating on a task.
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Social prompts: These are prompts that come from other people or social situations. For example, a friend might prompt you to go out for a drink after work, or a co-worker might prompt you to take a break and chat.
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Time-based prompts: These are prompts that are related to the time of day, day of the week, or other temporal factors. For example, you might have a habit of going for a run every morning at 6am, or you might have a habit of watching TV every night before bed.
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Physical prompts: These are prompts that are related to your physical sensations or needs. For example, feeling hungry might prompt you to eat a meal, or feeling thirsty might prompt you to drink water.
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Psychological prompts: These are prompts that are related to your thoughts, beliefs, or motivations. For example, a belief that you need to be productive all the time might prompt you to work excessively, or a thought that you are not good enough might prompt you to engage in negative self-talk.
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Cognitive prompts: These are prompts that are related to your mental processes or cognitive functions. For example, seeing a math problem might prompt you to start solving it, or hearing a question might prompt you to think about the answer.
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Sensory prompts: These are prompts that are related to your senses, such as sight, sound, touch, taste, or smell. For example, the sight of a beautiful sunset might prompt you to take a photo, or the sound of music might prompt you to dance.
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Memory prompts: These are prompts that are related to your memories or past experiences. For example, seeing an old photo might prompt you to remember a past event, or hearing a familiar song might prompt you to reminisce about a past experience.
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Identity-based prompts: These are prompts that are related to your sense of self or personal identity. For example, feeling like you are not living up to your values might prompt you to make a change in your behavior, or feeling like you don't fit in with a group might prompt you to try to change your appearance or behavior.
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Goal-oriented prompts: These are prompts that are related to your goals or aspirations. For example, wanting to achieve a certain level of fitness might prompt you to start exercising regularly, or wanting to improve your financial situation might prompt you to start saving money.
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Belief-based prompts: These are prompts that are related to your beliefs or convictions. For example, believing that you have a responsibility to protect the environment might prompt you to recycle, or believing that education is important might prompt you to pursue further study.
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Value-based prompts: These are prompts that are related to your values or priorities. For example, valuing family time might prompt you to spend more time with your loved ones, or valuing personal growth might prompt you to pursue new learning opportunities.
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Need-based prompts: These are prompts that are related to your basic needs or desires. For example, needing to feel safe and secure might prompt you to lock the doors at night, or wanting to feel loved and appreciated might prompt you to express affection to your loved ones.
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Reward-based prompts: These are prompts that are related to the anticipation of a reward or positive outcome. For example, wanting to feel good about yourself might prompt you to engage in activities that are fulfilling or meaningful to you, or wanting to feel successful might prompt you to set and pursue challenging goals.
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Consequence-based prompts: These are prompts that are related to the potential consequences of a behavior. For example, wanting to avoid punishment or negative consequences might prompt you to follow rules or regulations, or wanting to avoid regret or guilt might prompt you to make a different decision.
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Routine-based prompts: These are prompts that are related to your daily routines or habits. For example, waking up at the same time every morning might prompt you to start your day with a set of specific tasks or activities, or going to bed at the same time every night might prompt you to follow a bedtime routine.
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Conflict-based prompts: These are prompts that are related to conflicts or dilemmas. For example, wanting to please everyone might prompt you to compromise your own values or desires, or feeling torn between two options might prompt you to seek advice or guidance.
By paying attention to the different types of prompts that trigger your habits, you can gain a better understanding of the factors that influence your behavior. This can help you develop strategies to change unhealthy habits and establish new, healthier ones.
The are three different types of prompts that can influence behavior: spark, facilitator, and signal.
A spark prompt is a stimulus that immediately triggers a behavior. In your example, the spark prompt is a level of fear that prompts you to open mail or Discord.
A facilitator prompt is a stimulus that helps make it easier for a behavior to occur. In your example, the facilitator prompt is high motivation, coupled with low ability. This means that you are motivated to engage in the behavior, but you may struggle to actually follow through because you lack the necessary skills or resources.
A signal prompt is a stimulus that indicates that it is an opportune time to engage in a behavior. In your example, the signal prompt is high motivation and high ability. This means that you are motivated to engage in the behavior and also have the necessary skills and resources to follow through.
By paying attention to these different types of prompts, you can gain a better understanding of the factors that influence your behavior and develop strategies to change unhealthy habits and establish new, healthier ones.
2. Categories of prompts
There are many different ways to categorize prompts, and the specific categories you use will depend on your goals and the context in which you are trying to change a habit. Here are a few additional ways you could categorize prompts:
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External vs. internal prompts: External prompts come from the environment or other people, while internal prompts come from within an individual (such as thoughts, feelings, or memories).
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Positive vs. negative prompts: Positive prompts are stimuli that encourage a desired behavior, while negative prompts are stimuli that discourage an undesired behavior.
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Automatic vs. controlled prompts: Automatic prompts are stimuli that trigger a behavior automatically, without conscious thought or intention. Controlled prompts are stimuli that require conscious thought or intention to trigger a behavior.
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Specific vs. general prompts: Specific prompts are stimuli that are closely related to the desired behavior, while general prompts are stimuli that are more broadly related to the desired behavior.
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Weak vs. strong prompts: Weak prompts are stimuli that are less likely to trigger a behavior, while strong prompts are stimuli that are more likely to trigger a behavior.
3. How to recognize prompts
To recognize the prompts that trigger a habit, it can be helpful to pay attention to your thoughts, feelings, and behaviors before, during, and after the habit. Here are some specific things you can do to identify the prompts that trigger a habit:
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Keep a journal: Write down the specific thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that occur before, during, and after the habit. This can help you identify patterns and common triggers for the habit.
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Pay attention to your surroundings: Notice your surroundings when the habit occurs. Are there any specific people, places, or things that seem to trigger the habit?
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Reflect on your emotions: Pay attention to how you feel before, during, and after the habit. Search your triggers: how do you feel if you see a photo of person xxx? Or how do you feel if you are in the location (buildings, rooms, areas) xxx? Songs? Smells? Tastes? Visuals? Do certain emotions seem to trigger the habit?
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Consider your past experiences: Think about any past experiences that may have contributed to the habit. For example, if you have a habit of reaching for junk food when you're stressed, think about any past experiences that may have taught you to cope with stress in this way.
Example 1: You want to change the habit of procrastinating on work tasks.
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Keep a journal: Write down the specific tasks you need to complete, as well as your thoughts and feelings before, during, and after you procrastinate. This can help you identify patterns and common triggers for the habit.
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Pay attention to your surroundings: Notice your surroundings when you procrastinate. Are there any specific people, places, or things that seem to trigger the habit?
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Reflect on your emotions: Pay attention to how you feel before, during, and after you procrastinate. Do certain emotions seem to trigger the habit?
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Consider your past experiences: Think about any past experiences that may have contributed to the habit of procrastination. For example, have you always struggled with time management, or do you find certain tasks particularly difficult or boring?
Example 2: You want to change the habit of overeating.
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Keep a journal: Write down what you eat, as well as your thoughts and feelings before, during, and after you overeat. This can help you identify patterns and common triggers for the habit.
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Pay attention to your surroundings: Notice your surroundings when you overeat. Are there any specific people, places, or things that seem to trigger the habit?
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Reflect on your emotions: Pay attention to how you feel before, during, and after you overeat. Do certain emotions seem to trigger the habit?
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Consider your past experiences: Think about any past experiences that may have contributed to the habit of overeating. For example, have you always struggled with emotional eating, or do you find it difficult to resist certain types of food?
By paying attention to these prompts, you can start to understand the circumstances and factors that lead you to engage in the habit. Once you have a better understanding of the triggers for the habit, you can work on replacing the habit with healthier behavior.