Std Testing & Treatment in Berkeley Lake, GA
When Habits Hurt
“The chains of habit are too weak to be felt until they are too strong to be broken” Samuel Johnson
For discussion, let’s say that you have been engaging in sexually risky behavior that has led to an STD or unintended pregnancy near Berkeley Lake, GA.
Call or text 770-338-1680 to schedule STD testing.
Obria Medical Clinics has low-cost testing and treatment.
Maybe you are asking, “How did I get here”? or “Why is this happening to me”? Are you struggling to untangle the mess that has been left in the wake of engaging in risky behaviors?
Let’s break this down. Chances are you have been engaging in sexually risky behavior for a while. Let’s start with experience. Your experience is something that you do regularly (engaging in unprotected sex). You also observe that this same behavior is going on around you regularly. So you form assumptions about having unprotected sex based upon these experiences and observations (Everyone I know is engaging in this same type of behavior). Based on this assumption you conclude (Having unprotected sex is normal because everyone else is doing the same thing). From these conclusions, you form a belief (Having unprotected sex will not lead to any negative outcomes for me because everyone else is doing the same thing). So, you justify having unprotected sex based upon your beliefs. Have you ever noticed that the more times you do something, the easier it becomes? There is a reason for that.
Call or Text 770-338-1680 to schedule a Life Coaching Session at
Obria Medical Clinics near Berkeley Lake, GA.
Our brains are wired so that anything we do repeatedly is stored in our lower brain, where our actions get programmed subconsciously (on a level that we are not consciously aware of). When an action or behavior is repeated, again and again, it becomes unconscious. It is like brushing your teeth or tying your shoe. You no longer have to think about doing it because it is stored in your lower brain. The bad and the good thing about habits is that they allow you to not consciously think, and that frees up brainpower to think about new and different things. The good news is that you get to think about new and different things. The bad news is that the more times you engage in risky behavior the easier it is to do it again and again while giving it very little thought. If risky behaviors have become a habit for you, it feels natural to engage in them with no consideration of possible negative consequences.
Over time, you might become like the proverbial frog in the kettle. As the story goes, a frog is dropped into a pot of cold water and placed on a stove. The stove is turned on, the heat is incrementally increased, and gradually the water’s temperature rises. The rising temperature is so subtle and so pleasurable that the frog misses its chance to jump out. When he realized that he was boiling to death, it was too late. Seemingly harmless actions can sometimes lead to habitual patterns which may result in dangerous outcomes.
If you are concerned about the choices you are making, Obria offers life coaching to help you attack the obstacles you may be facing.
To schedule an appointment, call, or text 770-338-1680.
*Adapted from This Naked Mind by Annie Grace
Obria Medical Clinics-Lawrenceville
565 Old Norcross Rd #20,
Lawrenceville, GA 30046
770 338-1680