Photo by Milan Popovic on Unsplash
We’re all guilty of a few bad habits. Whether it’s spending too much time at your computer, not being able to resist those sweet treats, or smoking, you can get addicted to bad habits. If we didn’t it would be easy to break them.
Why is it so hard to change those bad habits to good ones?
Assess the impact these habits are having on your life
Bad habits aren’t all created equal. Some are just little things you want to change, and others can be very serious, and you need to deal with this in a different way. If your problem is with eating, drinking, or substance abuse, then you should seek professional advice and consider a specialist rehab center to get the help you need.
Define what your bad habit is giving you
Often, bad habits fill an emotional or physical need. For example, sugary foods might temporarily give you energy, and biting your nails might help your stress levels. Take some time to think about what you’re getting from your bad habits, which is the first step to replacing them.
Replace your habit with something else
Trying to stop something cold turkey rarely works. Often, replacing your bad habit with something better is a good stepping stone to replacing it completely. If you’re eating sugary foods to get energy, the final goal should be to find ways to reduce tiredness, but a middle ground could be to swap refined sugar for fruit or nuts.
Remove your triggers
Making it more difficult for yourself to continue bad habits. For example, if you’re a smoker, choose events and venues that don’t allow smoking or vaping. If you have a problem with certain foods, keep them out of the house and delete any food delivery apps from your phone.
Visualize a life beyond your habit
Years of bad habits actually train your brain to crave them and reward you for them. It can take some time for this to be undone. A powerful tool is visualization. This is where you imagine your life without your bad habits. Are you healthier, stronger, less tired, more positive?
Thinking about your life in this way can begin to retrain your brain.
Don’t spiral into self-doubt
Self-depreciation and negativity can have a huge impact on your confidence and ability to form good habits. Try and stop thinking negative thoughts about yourself. It might not be easy, but when you do catch yourself doing it, try and reframe these thoughts into something more positive and constructive.
Small changes will last
The internet is full of stories about people who have gone at something full tilt, completely transforming themselves and their lives in one step. While that makes for inspiring headlines, the fact is that most people don’t respond to drastic change. Success more often lies in making smaller changes. Let’s take the food example again. Switching from a very unhealthy diet to a 100% healthy one, will probably only last a few days. You’ll then feel like a failure, and give up altogether. Instead, reduce the amount of unhealthy food you’re eating. Replace a few things at a time and before you know it, you’ve made the meaningful change without feeling deprived.
Final thoughts
We all have bad habits we want to change. It’s not always easy, but understanding why you do certain things and how you can take small steps to change your lifestyle is the way forward.
Speak Your Mind