Sometimes a habit makes perfect sense.

You are stressed, so you reach for something familiar.

You are bored, so you fall into an automatic behaviour.

You feel anxious, so you repeat something that has become associated with relief.

But sometimes the …

October brings Stoptober, and every year thousands of people decide that this will be the month they finally stop smoking.

You may already know exactly why you want to stop.

Perhaps it is your health. The cost. Your family. The smell.

Your breathing.

Or …

Imagine your friend phones you after making a mistake at work.

“I can’t believe I did that,” they say. “I feel such an idiot.”

What would you say?

Would you tell them:

“You’re useless.”

“You always get things wrong.”

“Everyone probably thinks you’re …

Someone tells you that you look lovely.

Or that you did a brilliant job.

Perhaps they tell you how confident you seemed in a meeting, how well you handled a difficult situation or how much they appreciate something you have done.

And what happens?

Instead …