Not all habits are the same. In fact, habits show up in different areas of your life—your thoughts, emotions, and actions. Understanding the types of habits helps you recognise patterns and see how they influence your resilience.

The Three Types of Habits

1. Cognitive Habits (Thinking)

These are habits of the mind—the ways you automatically think or interpret situations. They shape your perspective and problem-solving abilities.

Examples:

• Automatically seeing challenges as opportunities rather than threats.
• Positive self-talk, such as saying, “I can figure this out.”
• Negative self-talk, such as thinking, “I always mess things up.”

Cognitive habits strongly influence your mindset, and therefore your resilience.

2. Emotional Habits (Feeling)

These are patterns in how you emotionally respond to situations. Over time, your brain creates automatic emotional pathways that can help or hinder you.

Examples:

• Calming yourself when you feel stressed.
• Responding with empathy when someone is upset.
• Feeling defensive whenever you receive feedback.

Emotional habits matter because they influence how you connect with others and how you regulate your own well-being.

3. Action Habits (Doing)

These are the most visible habits—your behaviours. They are the things you do automatically, often without thinking.

Examples:

• Brushing your teeth every morning and evening.
• Checking your phone the moment you wake up.
• Going for a walk every evening after dinner.

Action habits form your routines. They are easier to notice, but they are built on your cognitive and emotional habits.

Why This Matters for Resilience

When you face challenges, your habits kick in automatically. If your thinking habits are positive, your emotional habits are stabilising, and your action habits are constructive—you are far more resilient. If not, your habits may pull you down when you need strength the most.

Reflection Prompt

Think about one example of each type of habit in your own life:

• Cognitive: What is one thought you often repeat to yourself?
• Emotional: How do you typically feel when you face stress?
• Action: What is something you automatically do every day?