Are habits harder to break if you’re autistic

hi everyone,

so I have a few unhelpful habits. I know that’s far from unusual, regardless of neurotype. However, I seem to find these habits particularly hard to break: things like biting my nails, or picking food apart in specific ways. People tell me not to do these things, to stop, refrain, etc. And as much as I would like to stop, I just can’t seem to do so. I wonder if this could be autism-related, given that habit seems closely related to routine, and not being able to stop seems linked to executive functioning. I would be interested to hear any thoughts, experiences, or guidance you would be happy to share.

  • I find it near impossible to resist my impulses; especially regarding spending.

    Money is like Cocaine for me.

  • Hi Sphynx,

    Have you tried writing down the habit you want to change and writing down the reasons for keeping or changing it? Often, it's easier to change a habit we don't like if we can make a good case to ourselves for changing it.  And that means identifying for ourselves the the reasons why we have the habit in the first place (what benefits we get from it) and then the reasons why we would be better without it.