notmynoise
Practice guide4–6 minutes5 sections

Find a More Rewarding Alternative to the Habit

Begin step 1

Find a More Rewarding Alternative to the Habit is a short visual guide for moments connected to building healthy habits.

It covers one core idea: simply replacing one external reward with another can leave the craving itself intact.

You will test the alternative: does it provide lasting openness or is it just a temporary distraction and requires repetition, then choose what fits next.

The aim is a habit that relies less on willpower and is easier to repeat.

Edited aspractice guide·5 focused visual steps
Working edition 1Published July 22, 2026Last reviewed August 2, 2026Editorial standardsSuggest a correction
01
A person at a sunlit desk placing a phone face down and opening a notebook to one simple task.

Step 1 of 5

Check your starting point: Find a More Rewarding Alternative to the Habit

When the familiar action starts before you have time to choose…

Notice what fits this situation today:

  • Replacement may continue the same loop
  • A more rewarding alternative feels open rather than requiring more.
  • mindfulness combines all three gears
  • I am not sure yet—I just want to understand
Next: Simply replacing one external reward with another can leave the craving itself intact
02
A person at a sunlit desk placing a phone face down and opening a notebook to one simple task.

Step 2 of 5

Simply replacing one external reward with another can leave the craving itself intact

  • Simply replacing one external reward with another can leave the craving itself intact.
  • A stronger alternative should not only seem more pleasant, but also get you out of the loop.
  • Curious awareness is offered as an internally accessible experience of openness that allows you to not “fix” a feeling and yet not follow an impulse.
Next: Test the alternative: does it provide lasting openness or is it just a temporary distraction and…
03
A person at a sunlit desk placing a phone face down and opening a notebook to one simple task.

Step 3 of 5

Test the alternative: does it provide lasting openness or is it just a temporary distraction and…

  • Pause for a few seconds. Check whether this practice feels safe enough right now.
  • Test the alternative: does it provide lasting openness or is it just a temporary distraction and requires repetition?
  • Notice what changed in your body or thoughts. Do not grade yourself—collect information.

Quick check after the practice:

  • What changed, even by 1%?
  • What stayed the same?
  • What do you need now: continue, stop, or ask someone for support?
Next: What this may change: Find a More Rewarding Alternative to the Habit
04
A person at a sunlit desk placing a phone face down and opening a notebook to one simple task.

Step 4 of 5

What this may change: Find a More Rewarding Alternative to the Habit

A habit that relies less on willpower and is easier to repeat.

The useful shift is more clarity, less autopilot, and one available choice.

Next: Choose a next step: Find a More Rewarding Alternative to the Habit
05
A person at a sunlit desk placing a phone face down and opening a notebook to one simple task.

Step 5 of 5

Choose a next step: Find a More Rewarding Alternative to the Habit

You do not have to resolve this whole situation today. You worked directly with “Find a More Rewarding Alternative to the Habit” and chose one possible response.

Choose what fits now:

  • “Save one next step”
  • “Come back later”
  • “I need support from a person”

After this guide

Keep the next step small.

A habit that relies less on willpower and is easier to repeat.

Back to Habits and AutopilotChoose another topic

Where to go next

Choose the next useful idea

Choose one if it fits what you need now.

Sources & evidence

Where this guide comes from

The book is the editorial starting point. The research below checks or qualifies the broader ideas used in this guide.

Adapted from

Unwinding Anxiety

New Science Shows How to Break the Cycles of Worry and Fear to Heal Your Mind

Chapter 15, “The Bigger, Better Offer” · source pages 154–165

View publisher record (opens in a new tab)
Written by
Judson Brewer, MD, PhD (opens in a new tab)Addiction psychiatrist and neuroscientist; Professor of Behavioral and Social Sciences and of Psychiatry and Human Behavior at Brown University; Director of Research and Innovation at the Mindfulness Center at Brown.
Edition used
Avery, an imprint of Penguin Random House, 2021 · ISBN 9780593421406
Formal review
The trade-book edition does not identify a formal peer-review or clinical-review panel. Endorsements from clinicians are recorded separately.
Public endorsements — not formal review

Daniel J. Siegel, MD (opens in a new tab) — Physician and author; Mark Williams (opens in a new tab) — Emeritus Professor of Clinical Psychology, University of Oxford

Editorial limitations of this book source
  • The book draws on the author's clinical work and research but is not itself a peer-reviewed treatment protocol.
  • The principal app trial was small and involved investigators connected to the product; results require independent replication.
  • Internal-attention practices can intensify symptoms for some people with panic, trauma, or dissociation.
  • New or concerning physical symptoms must not automatically be attributed to anxiety.

Research context

Supporting and qualifying references

Reviewed 2026-08-04

  1. 01

    Randomized Controlled Trial · 2021

    Clinical Efficacy and Psychological Mechanisms of an App-Based Digital Therapeutic for Generalized Anxiety Disorder (opens in a new tab)

    Alexandra Roy, Elizabeth A. Hoge, Pablo Abrante, Susan Druker, Tao Liu, Judson A. Brewer · Journal of Medical Internet Research · DOI 10.2196/26987

    What it supports: A small randomized trial found benefit from the full Unwinding Anxiety app added to treatment as usual for adults with GAD.

    Limits and disclosures

    Limit: Sixty-five randomized participants, treatment-as-usual control, self-report outcomes, incomplete program completion, and need for independent replication; it does not validate each book chapter or NotMyNoise adaptation.

    Disclosure: Judson Brewer is the book author and was connected to development/commercialization of the studied program; treat as product-linked evidence.

  2. 02

    Peer Reviewed Meta Analysis · 2018

    Cognitive behavioral therapy for anxiety and related disorders: A meta-analysis of randomized placebo-controlled trials (opens in a new tab)

    Joseph K. Carpenter, Leigh A. Andrews, Sara M. Witcraft, Mark B. Powers, Jasper A. J. Smits, Stefan G. Hofmann · Depression and Anxiety · DOI 10.1002/da.22728

    What it supports: CBT is moderately efficacious for anxiety and related disorders compared with placebo controls.

    Limits and disclosures

    Limit: Evidence supports structured therapy, not the clinical equivalence of a short educational guide.

    Disclosure: No relationship to NotMyNoise identified.

  3. 03

    Systematic Review And Meta Analysis · 2014

    Meditation programs for psychological stress and well-being: a systematic review and meta-analysis (opens in a new tab)

    Madhav Goyal, MD, MPH, Sonal Singh, MD, MPH, Erica M. S. Sibinga, MD, et al. · JAMA Internal Medicine · DOI 10.1001/jamainternmed.2013.13018

    What it supports: Mindfulness meditation programs showed small improvements in anxiety, depression, and pain compared with nonspecific active controls.

    Limits and disclosures

    Limit: Heterogeneous programs and populations; limited or insufficient evidence for several other claimed outcomes.

    Disclosure: Independent evidence source; not specific to the books or NotMyNoise.