Have you ever driven a car back home while mentally occupied? Maybe you were stressed over your work in the office or busy in conversation over a call. But you still managed to drive the car without conscious effort to memorize the process.
Why does this happen?
The answer lies in the power of learned scripts, habits, and routines. You drive a car so often that you don’t have to think. Your foot works correctly. This response is automatic, and you become a creature of habit.
Creature of habit is an idiom most often used to refer to a person who does the same things at the same time habitually.
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What does the Creature of Habit mean?
Creature of habit means that when someone does the same thing at the same time daily or is habitual of repeating their actions every day, they ultimately become creatures of habit. It also refers to someone who does things in the same way or at the same time of day.
According to the Collins Dictionary, a creature of habit means that people usually do the same things at the same time without any change rather than doing new or different things. Thus, the meaning of creature of habit is a person who is extremely used to his habits and cannot function well without them.
Creature of Habit Origin
The word habit comes from Latin words: Habere, meaning ‘to have or to consist of’, Habitus, meaning ‘condition or appearance’, and Habeo, meaning ‘to hold or to keep’. In contrast, the word creature is derived in French from the Late Latin Creatura and the verb Creare, which evolved into Middle English (for something created).
When we combine these terms, the term ‘creature of habit’ means someone who has consistent and repetitive habits and who follows established patterns or routines. This phrase originated from the notion that many animals, including humans, tend to exhibit repetitive routines or behaviours.
This concept reflects the idea that habits are deeply ingrained in our nature and can shape our actions. As time passes, this phrase is used for individuals who stick to their familiar routines or behaviours, often without any conscious effort to think about it.
Creature of Habit Examples
As we already know, a creature of habit is a person who follows an unvarying routine. Now, let’s look at some examples of creatures of habit. We all follow certain routines without knowing which habits are good or bad.
- Morning routine – Someone who is habitual of waking up at the same time every day, followed by brushing teeth and having breakfast
- Breakfast – making breakfast every day seems effortless, and one does this without any conscious efforts to recall the process
- Nail biting – if a person is prone to nail biting, he will do it without knowing or thinking about it. Thus, he becomes a creature of the habit of nail biting. He should learn some practical ways to break this habit of nail biting.
- Gratitude – when a person shows gratitude for whatever he had even if things don’t go as planned, is also a creature of habit example
- Neglecting skin care—sometimes, we also become habitual of skipping our skincare routines; this also counts as becoming a creature of the habit of having a bad skincare routine.
- Stress medication – some people become chronic in taking medicines for treating stress and anxiety, and they start to take drugs even when they know it can harm their health in many ways.
Let’s examine a scenario to understand this concept of a creature of habit better. Tina gets up at 6:30 am every day, goes for a run, takes a shower, and then eats oatmeal for breakfast.
After that, she leaves for her office and reaches at 9:00 am. There, Tina always starts by checking the emails and then working on the most pressing tasks. She takes a coffee break at 10:30 am and lunch at 12:30 pm.
Tina completes her task after the lunch break and leaves for home at 6:00 pm. As soon as she reaches home, she prepares dinner and spends time with her family till 10:00 pm.
At ten, Tina went to her room and spent 30 minutes surfing the internet and 30 minutes reading a book. When the clock struck 11, she went to bed and sleep. Tina does this every day without failing any of her tasks and without any difficulty. Thus, she has become a creature of habit.
Humans are Creatures of Habit
When we say that humans are creatures of habit, it does not mean that they are slavish beings who follow the same routines without any sense or purpose. In fact, human beings are rational and knowledgeable creatures who are prone to their social and material environments and are really capable of transforming them.
Firstly, we are humans, and we do have our needs. We need to eat, drink, live, and communicate with others. We have physical, social, and psychological needs. Our lives are really complicated as we try to fulfil every need gracefully.
How is it possible to do all the things better without getting tired? The answer is that humans are creatures of habit. Habits play a crucial role here. When we do something habitual, we are not doing it in the same way as we do something non-habitual.
Habits make things easier for us. We don’t have to think twice about what we are doing at the moment. In fact, everything happens on its own with our little efforts.
Conclusion
Thus, the term “creature of habit” encapsulates the human tendency to develop repetitive and consistent behaviors. Examples ranging from morning routines to the habits of gratitude or psychological aspects illustrate how individuals become creatures of habit in various aspects of life. Therefore, by understanding the power of habits, we can consciously cultivate beneficial habits while also adapting those that no longer serve us, empowering us to lead more fulfilling and intentional lives.
