This book is about how we easily we become habituated to our surroundings, and how this can be problematic for many reasons (although it’s also practical in some ways). We can habituate to good things, and then reduce our appreciation of them. We can also habituate to bad things, and then become less motivated to strive for change.
The authors provide a range of suggestions for becoming dishabituated to improve our well-being, thinking, health and safety, relationships and society. They cover topics including midlife crises, social media, resilience, risk, the environment, discrimination, and the law.
You can also purchase a workbook to go along with the book, which includes brief summaries of each chapter and some questions to reflect on, activities to engage in, and a space to write notes about your attempts to dishabituate in various circumstances. It’s a great reflective practice tool! Here’s an example reflection prompt from the workbook:
“Think about a recent instance where you noticed something new about yourself or gained a deeper insight into your own thoughts, feelings, or behaviours. Reflect on how this moment of self-awareness contributed to a richer understanding of yourself and your place in the world.”
This book is a great reminder of how quickly we fail to notice (and appreciate) things that become familiar to us. While it may not be a book specifically about conflict, I suspect that habituation is a root cause of many conflicts, and dishabituation can be a way to transform them.
