Why Making Change Is So Hard (And What to Do About It)
A perspective for anyone who has ever started a new habit on a Monday (or on the first day of a new month) and has given up later that week (or month).
We often know what we need to be doing, or not doing. Eat more vegetables. Drink more water. Move more. Go to bed earlier. Spend less time doomscrolling.
So why it is so challenging to make changes, especially when they might seem so obvious?
This is not a willpower problem. It is a biology problem.
Your Brain is Wired For Comfort, Not Change
The human brain is extraordinarily efficient. It builds habits precisely so it does not have to think too hard. When you repeat a behaviour enough times, it gets encoded into neural pathways that operate almost automatically.
Getting up to make a coffee, or reaching for your phone the moment you wake up, or sitting down after dinner rather than going for a walk. These patterns feel natural because, neurologically, they are well-worn roads.
Trying to change them requires your brain to build new roads. That takes energy, focus, and repetition. And in the short term, the old road is always easier.
This is why dietary changes and lifestyle shifts feel so effortful at the beginning. You are asking your brain to work harder, not less.
Change is not a character test. It is a neurological one. The brain resists unfamiliar patterns by design, and understanding that makes it a lot easier to be kind to yourself when progress feels slow.
The Gap Between Knowing and Doing
A common phrase I hear in my clinic is “Katie, I know what I should be doing, I just don’t do it”.
Most of us do already know what we should be doing. Eat more whole foods. Move more. Get to bed before midnight. Scroll less on social media.
Heck, I am a Clinical Nutritionist with two university degrees in science and nutrition, which means I should definitely know better, right? But guess who was reaching for that packet of chips at 8:30pm last night?! Yep, you've got it right… it was me!
We are all human.
The challenge is rarely information. It is implementation.
This is because behaviour change lives in a different part of the brain than knowledge. Your prefrontal cortex, the rational, logical, forward-thinking part, understands that eating more vegetables is good for you. But your fast-acting limbic system, which drives reward and habit, is reaching for whatever feels satisfying right now. The two are often in conflict, and in moments of tiredness, stress, or low motivation, the limbic system tends to win.
Why Small Changes Can Feel So Big
When we talk about dietary change, many people often assume the barrier is simply related to taste or convenience. But the challenge runs much deeper. Food is deeply tied to our identity, emotions, family, and routines. Changing what you eat can feel like changing who you are.
The same applies to lifestyle habits. Going to bed earlier might mean giving up the only quiet time you have in the day. Putting down your phone may mean sitting with thoughts you have been avoiding. Increasing your daily steps might feel like another obligation in an already very full schedule.
None of this means that change is impossible. It means that change deserves more respect than we tend to give it.
What Actually Helps
Research consistently shows that the most effective changes are built gradually, anchored to existing habits (check out my blog on habit stacking), and motivated by internal values rather than external pressure.
Here are a few things worth keeping in mind:
Start smaller than feels necessary. A ten-minute walk is not a failure. It is a foundation for building more movement into your day and week. Pick one small change you can implement this week, and congratulate yourself if you manage to do it once.
Stack new habits onto existing ones. Eating more vegetables at dinner is easier than rethinking your entire approach to food. Similarly, a short walk after your lunch is more achievable than committing to an hour at the gym. Small additions to what you are already doing tend to stick far better than overhauling everything at once.
Progress over perfection. Continue to build on your progress each week. For example, in the first week, add one extra serve of vegetables a couple of times a week. In the next week, see if you can add an extra serve of vegetables 3-4 times. Then the week after that, can you make it every day?
Expect setbacks and plan for them. A missed night of early sleep or an extra hour of scrolling does not undo your progress. Responding with self-compassion rather than self-criticism makes you more likely to continue, not less.
Reduce friction wherever possible. Make it easier for your brain to make change. Put a bowl of fruit on the bench instead of in the fridge. Place your supplements next to this bowl while you are at it. Set a phone curfew using app limits so the decision is made in advance. Lay out your walking shoes and exercise gear the night before.
Know your why. Changes that are motivated by genuine personal values tend to last longer than those driven by guilt or external comparison. It might help you write down why it is important for you to make these changes in a journal, and what the outcomes will be for you if you stick to them (or what will happen if you don't). You can revisit these reflections each week to track your progress.
Consistency over perfection, always. The person who walks three times a week for a year will always outpace the person who runs every day for three weeks and then burns out never to run again for the rest of the year.
A Word on Doomscrolling, Sleep and Movement
These three habits deserve a special mention because they are interconnected in ways that matter for our overall health.
Doomscrolling disrupts our sleep patterns and can keep our nervous system activated when it should be winding down.
This can lead to poor sleep, which increases cortisol levels, in turn driving our cravings for high-sugar, high-fat foods.
Feeling fatigued makes it harder to get moving, and when we move less, it affects more than just our fitness levels. Our mood, energy, and even hunger signals can all suffer as a result.
And the cycle continues…
When these habits deteriorate together, making dietary changes feels almost impossible because the physiological foundations are not in place to support them.
This is why, in clinical practice, I often work with clients on their sleep and movement habits alongside nutrition, rather than treating them as separate issues. The body is interconnected, and supporting one area tends to have flow-on effects in others, making habit changes more sustainable overall.
Final Thoughts
Change is hard because it is supposed to be. It is not a sign that you are doing something wrong. It is a sign that you are asking your brain and body to do something genuinely new. Give yourself the patience and grace to see it through.
Are you looking for someone to support you with your health and wellness goals?
Consider booking in a 1:1 Clinical Nutrition appointment where together we can develop a personalised nutrition plan that supports your unique health goals. This incorporates dietary and lifestyle recommendations, and practitioner-only supplements where indicated.
Katie practices at: Uprise Health, 136 Lennox Street, Richmond, 3121, Victoria.
Appointments: Face-to-face and Telehealth available (Australia wide)
Contact: admin@katiehopcraft.com.au
If you have any questions or need personalised guidance, feel free to reach out.
The information provided in this blog is for your personal or other non-commercial, educational purposes. It should not be considered as medical or professional advice. We recommend you consult with a GP or other healthcare professional before taking or omitting to take any action based on this blog. While the author uses best endeavours to provide accurate and true content, the author makes no guarantees or promises and assumes no liability regarding the accuracy, reliability or completeness of the information presented. The information, opinions, and recommendations presented in this blog are for general information only and any reliance on the information provided in this blog is done at your own risk.