Let’s start this blog with a quick reality test. 

How much can you recall about your entire day? 

It’s not about remembering significant events but small things such as   Difference between autopilot and intentional behaviour

» What did you have for your lunch today? 

» How do you feel after waking up in the morning?

If you get a chance to think about such events, you will realize that your life is going on autopilot and is very common among people. 

 

What is “Living on Autopilot" about? 

» It clearly doesn't indicate you’re being unmotivated and inattentive 

» It basically suggests that your brain is working on habit loops that lead to carrying out tasks automatically as they occur repeatedly to prevent energy loss. 

» For example: you wake up ~> check your phone ~> get ready for work ~> eat in between tasks ~> scroll during free time ~> sleep 

» Problem occurs when such behavior tends to prevent you from being aware of body functioning. 


Subtle changes in eating habits 

Imagine you open a package of snacks for tasting and take a few bites of it and realize that you consumed the entire snack. 

» Do you enjoy eating this snack? 

» Do you taste it properly? 

Autopilot eating causes overconsumption of food without awareness, avoiding hunger signals, and increased eating due to boredom. 

Next time, after 3 bites of eating food, ask yourself, "Whether you’re really hungry or just finishing food." That helps to reduce such repetitive actions. 

 

Stress levels might be more increased than your actual expectation

» This happens when you detach yourself from emotions and keep functioning without understanding why it is happening. 

» Most common symptoms include mental exhaustion, irritability, and mood swings.

» In the longer run, it affects your sleep schedule, digestion, and energy levels. 

 

Mindful Movement Brings Better Benefits

» You must be that person who prefers to walk, exercise, and keep oneself physically active while your mind starts to drift away somewhere. 

» Scrolling while walking and watching something while eating food are common examples of such autopilot activity. 

» Such actions will prevent you from gaining benefits of any physical activity. 

» Next time while you walk, don’t use any electronic device and observe the surroundings around you and the number of steps you take. 


Relation between autopilot and sleep cycle 

» You most probably scroll late at night without being aware of the time 

» Sleeping after a long, tired day that doesn’t seem to relax you 

» Wake up lethargic after sleeping properly 

» This happens when your brain keeps processing entire day information without a break. 

» It’s better to avoid scrolling for a few hours before sleep and practice some relaxing techniques for better sleep quality. 


Why Your Brain Switches to Autopilot 

» Your brain mostly depends on autopilot to conserve energy, simplify decision-making, and handle routine tasks smoothly 

» The problem with such an autopilot functioning process is that you never want to step out of this functioning process, as its absence will make you feel burned out. 

Moving from Autopilot to Mindfulness

Conclusion 

People running on autopilot becomes a normal routine and can be tackled effectively by taking a pause before carrying out tasks, changing habits that lead to such repetitive actions, and being mindful of your actions by engaging your body senses. It is all about becoming aware of such actions, which helps to reduce their impact on your health choices.