How To Break Bad Habits: To do or not to do

A habit is a routine of behaviour that is repeated regularly and tends to occur subconsciously. We all possess both good and bad habits. While we are all proud of our good habits, bad habits interrupt our lives and prevent us from accomplishing our goals. They jeopardize our health — both mentally and physically.  We all have those bad habits we’d like to break. What is great is that we can break it. We’re all capable of change, so let’s!

TOMORROW NEVER COMES

If you want to bring about a change in yourself, begin then and there. We are all aware of the phrase that “tomorrow never comes” and for such matters, it does not mostly come. Delaying is a bad habit in itself. So, begin the moment you think you should and let the process flow.

UNDERSTAND YOUR CAUSE

It is imperative to understand the cause of the habit and the cause for your action to break the habit. If you understand these two, then it becomes simple to achieve your target.

CHANGE YOUR ENVIRONMENT

The environment is one of the biggest triggers for continuity of bad habits. For example, if you take a particular road to your house where you always stop and buy a packet of chips, then the easiest way to break this habit is by changing the route to your house wherein you won’t be triggered to buy it again.

LIST ALL THE REASONS FOR THE NEED TO CHANGE

Write all the reasons as to why you want to change and put it up in a visible place where you are bound to look at it regularly. This will remind you and keep you motivated.

FIND ALTERNATIVE TO YOUR HABITS

It’s often not possible to get rid of habits all at once. It might take years of willpower to change it completely. So, one solution is to find alternatives for particular habits. For example, if you keep cracking your knuckle when you are angry, next time try keeping your hands inside your pocket to see if it works.

CHANGE ONE HABIT AT A TIME

There might be a couple of habits that you might want to get rid of. Don’t try to change it all at once.

FINE YOURSELF FOR EVERY OFFENCE

One interesting way to control yourself from continuing a particular habit is by fining yourself for every offence. Fix a fine. For example, every time you do it, you have to give a fixed amount to your mom or put it in your piggy bank.

FOCUS ON WHAT TO DO AND NOT ON WHAT NOT TO DO

When you are working towards changing a habit, do not focus on it but rather focus on what you wish to achieve.

SHORTCUTS WON’T HELP

If we have been doing something for years, it is hard to get rid of it at once. There might be failures during these attempts but keep your patience game on and keep going. Only when you are used to not doing it for relatively long time, that’s when you will be able to achieve it.

DO A STIPULATED TIME FRAME CHALLENGE

To keep your adrenaline rush high, take up mini time bound challenges like the five-day challenge, 10-day challenge and so on. This is will induce a sense of competition and keep you going.

REWARD AND CHANGE REWARDS FREQUENTLY

Similar to fines, rewards are also equally important. As you progress or keep improving, reward yourself. As much as it is important to reward your hard work, keeping changing the rewards so that you don’t get used to it and there is always an element of surprise.

IF-THEN PLAN

Formulate your IF and THEN plan. For example, you make a situation in your mind and find the solution to the problem. If my friends ask me to smoke just one cigarette then I will say that I am not well, so I won’t smoke.

THE POWER OF POSITIVISM

The power of positivism will help one achieve anything as they wish. All it takes is to think positively and remain positive. The rest will follow. The word impossible is found only in the dictionary of fools, so think about it!

FORGIVE AND TRY HARDER

Every time you are unable to push through, just don’t forget to forgive yourself. The very fact that you are trying is a great step towards change. So, don’t lose yourself confidence but rather try harder.

THINK DOOM, AND BLOOM

Think of all the worst things that could happen while you are in the process of changing a particular habit. Take precaution and do some damage control before so that you could outshine those problems!

We hope that these tips were helpful to get you started to work towards changing habits in yourself that you have always wished for.

Image credits: dantri.com

Reshma Ganeshbabu is an intern with SheThePeople.TV. 

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