A Better Habit Toolbox

Anyone who has ever tried to break a bad habit knows it’s a heavy lift, and success isn’t guaranteed.

That’s why University of Maryland finance educator Carrie Sorenson and family and consumer sciences educator Dhruti Patel have been working to show people how to change their ways, whether it’s learning to handle money, manage a household, creating a new gardening habit, or improving health and wellness.

“As educators, we often talk about what people can do to improve their lives, but we rarely talk about how to make those changes happen,” Patel said. With this in mind Patel and Sorenson co-developed a first-of-its-kind Habit Shift Mindset program for the public and professionals.

“Many programs teach what people can do to improve, but baked into that is the assumption that they will find a way to do it on their own,” Sorenson said. “Not many programs walk people through the process of; if you’re here, and you want to be there—then what does the bridge look like that crosses that gap?”

The new Habit Shift Mindset program is grounded in social cognitive theory, which helps individuals observe their environmental and internal contributors to existing habits. The program provides thought-provoking guidance to participants about understanding their habits through how they are formed, become embedded, and are reinforced.

Habits can form in a variety of ways and be ingrained long before a person even realizes they’re creating a habit. “We want people to think about their own histories, inspirations, challenges, failures, risks, and their own belief systems surrounding this one habit,” Patel said. “We want people to go deeper and have our audiences be more introspective in creating a shift—and that’s why we call it Habit Shift Mindset, because we believe that small degrees of shift can change a person’s mindset.”

Through a guided session with the educators and a personal workbook, participants are encouraged to identify and investigate a specific habit they’d like to change. Because this program delves into the roots of a person’s mindset around a habit, each person’s toolbox is individualized to their life and can apply to anyone wanting to make, or break a habit.

For example, two people who want to lose weight may need completely different strategies to change their habits. One might need to keep pre-cut veggie snacks on hand because they’re used to grabbing chips for their convenience, while another person might need to set an earlier alarm to get a ten minute workout in before sitting for a long commute. Conversely, two people may come in with completely different goals with one wanting to save money and make better financial choices and the other wanting to make more time for self-care.

Despite the fact that habits come from a person’s internal and external influences, how a person’s brain creates a habit is the same, Patel said. Our brains are trained to identify and create pathways to develop the automated systems that allow people to multitask. “Your brain falls into a groove and says, ‘I can take it from here,’ and then shifts to a subconscious mode,” Sorenson said. Anyone who has ever been driving but doesn’t remember navigating themselves to their driveway, perhaps citing “lost in thought” as the reason, recognizes these automatic tendencies.

“If you look at the neuroscience behind habit formation in general, it’s universal in nature. No matter if you’re talking about saving money or getting more active, the phenomena your brain goes through is similar in forming any habit,” said Patel. “Our approach needed to be universal and that’s what makes this program special—it applies to every single one of us.”

With this program Patel and Sorenson will help individuals across Maryland make meaningful change in their life and reverse the mental block that inhibits habit change. They are working towards creating a future where individuals are healthier, more mindful of their own habits, and able to employ their own personal toolbox for change. 

by Laura Wormuth : Momentum Magazine Winter 2025