The plasticity of the brain works both ways; so bad habits can be ingrained as easily as helpful ones. Also, if we do nothing, apathy or negative choices will by default work against us.
"plastic changes may not necessarily represent a behavioural gain for a given subject." (Pascual-Leone). In addition to being the mechanism for development and learning, plasticity can be "a cause of pathology."
Being aware of a habit and what context is reinforcing it, is the first step to change. When the cues for existing habits are removed, it's easier to create a new routine and form a new behaviour. Sometimes we can’t remove the existing cue but we can learn to change the association with it.
