Book Review: The Power of Habit

Remember way back when I used to do monthly book posts?  I liked that, but then finals and AP tests happened, so I literally did not read for a month and a half. I recently pulled out some books at home that I had never gotten around to reading. One of them was The Power of Habit, by Charles Duhigg.

I have to say, I’m not a big self-help book reader, but I’m a huge science nerd, especially when it comes to things I can apply in my daily life, like habits, so I was pretty excited to read this book and understand how habits are formed. Overall, I would say the book was written in a fun and easy to follow way, with periodical anecdotes. Something that was really helpful for me was having Duhigg explain how a habit loop works in the first chapter, and then go back to the familiar structure in every chapter thereafter. Personally, I do wish this book included a little more hard science, but I can understand how that would be a turnoff for people not so interested in the neuroscience aspect of it.

Part of what made this book so good was how applicable the things I learned were. Once I started identifying the cues that prompted certain habits for me, It was easier to change them. The general principle behind changing bad habits, like sitting down for an episode of Orange in the New Black (not a fan by the way, hate on me all you want), after work instead of going to the gym, is identifying the cue and reward, and keeping both of those the same, while changing the behavior. If you watch TV after work, you might feel relaxed and enjoy unwinding, and you do it because you’re stressed out. So the solution to getting to the gym is identifying the feeling of getting stressed out and lacing up your running shoes (or shoving your foot in and adjusting if you’re lazy like me). In terms of reward, your brain will produce endorphins that will both relax and energize you.

Another concept I found really interesting was the idea of willpower as a muscle. If  you overwork a muscle, it gets tired and torn up, and doesn’t work as well as it could. In the same way, if you stay away from junk food all day and plan to go to the gym at night, your willpowers muscle might be overused and you might bings watch TV with junk food instead of going to the gym. For me, I tend to put off going to the gym unless I do It first thing in the morning, so I’ve been waking up early with my friend Monica and going around 6 AM. Of course, this habit is still in the making since we’ve only done it for a week. Of course, like any muscle, willpower can get stronger, which is why with practice, weaning off of junk food or soda becomes easier.

Pretty cool stuff, huh? And super applicable. I would definitely recommend this book to anyone even slightly interested in the science of habit (so basically everyone because humans are creatures of habit), and rate a solid 4.5 stars

What’s on your reading list? I’m definitely looking for new books to read. Leave a comment below and friend me on Goodreads so we can check each others’ books out!

P.S. Please help me! Blogger is not letting me align the top photo + this text and I don't know why. It's really bothering me- what do I do?

xo, Hima

February Books

Hey y'all! So at the beginning of this month, when I published my February Goals, I mentioned that I wanted to read four books, and surprisingly, I was able to follow through with that. I tried to write short and spoiler-less reviews, so enjoy! 

*fyi, didn't read the Portuguese version- it was all I could find, photo wise 

I definitely didn't like this as much as Catching Fire, of the Hunger games series, plot-wise. It was too focused on the love blossoming between Tori and Four. (not that I'm some kind of sadist, but I'm reading dystopian fiction, not thinly disguised romance). The action scenes were written well- I dried out my contacts two nights in a row staying up late to finish this! Ultimately, I was a little tired of Tris's internal conflict by the end of the book. The ending was a cliffhanger- I was ready to start Allegiant right away. (Rate: 4/5)

 1. I hated the back and fourth between Tris and Tobias. Too much going on ,and it was hard to follow since the other tow books didn't follow the same model. 

2. Too many plot twists: I think Katy Perry summed it up pretty well in Hot N Cold!

3. The ending....seriously? This is not okay (Rate: 3/5)

This book is not something that you will tear through in a night of feverish page turning. It's the kind of book that needs to be picked up for twenty minutes here and there, the kind of book that takes a couple of weeks to get through. It's also the kind of book that will leave laying in bed, content, and looking up at the ceiling when you're finally finished. Extremely Loud and Incredibly close is hilarious at times, and absolutely sob-worthy at others. I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and felt a deeper understanding of two things when I finished: 1. The devastation that 9/11 brought to New York specifically and to America as a whole. 2. How not everyone has a happily ever after at age 25-love takes years to cultivate. (Rate: 4/5)

Smiles, chuckles, tears, and outright sobs: all things that I experienced as I read this book. This personifies the love that dogs and owners cultivate SO very well, and I viewed my Bella in a completely different way after reading it. (Rate: 5/5)

Well, that's it! What books have you read this month? Have you read any of the above ever? What did you think? Also, I'm in need of suggestions- hit me up in the comments below!!

xo, Hima

P.S. Remember that election I was talking about? I won. :)