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If you have some bad habits in your life, then depending on what they are, they can impact your life in some big ways and some small ways. If you have a bad habit of biting your nails, for example, then you will find it hard ever to get the nails that you want, and if you do it when you are nervous, it can be something that can impact your work life. Some more unhealthy bad habits can take over your life, too, both physically and mentally, wasting your time, money, and energy.
So the real question is, why do we still do these habits that we know aren’t good for us if they do this to us? And at the same time, what can we do to correct our behaviors and kick our bad habits? We start a particular habit for several reasons, but how can we make fundamental changes and stop the habits we know are bad for us? Sticking to healthy habits is going to be much better for us all.
What leads to our bad habits?
When you think about where most of your habits come from, they are often out of boredom or stress. A lot of the time, our bad habits are just a way of dealing with how we are feeling when we either feel stressed or bored. You may be someone who overspends when shopping, twists and pulls hair, scrolls on social media for hours on end with no real intent, or spends much spare time drinking the night away. However, the good news is that these habits don’t have to stay that way. Of course, there is some work to do because you need to teach yourself new ways of doing things and healthier habits during those stressful or boring times.
You could start thinking about why you have certain habits in the first place. Is there a particular belief or a reason why you have a specific habit? Do you use something as a crutch because you know that you can and you’re in denial, often looking for excuses or justifications, knowing that you can use synthetic urine to pass a test with, for instance? Or is there a particular belief that limits you that you can’t get past because of previous experience or trauma? We can often hurt ourselves with bad habits because we don’t think we’re capable of anything else or that it is what we deserve. If you can recognize the reasons for your bad habits, then it will be a vital part that helps you overcome them.
Replacing bad habits
Whether we have good or bad habits, they are in our lives for a reason. That is why it can be hard to stop a habit entirely and not have anything in its place. Some of our bad habits can feel like they are benefiting us. For example, a smoking habit can be a stress reliever when you’re feeling overwhelmed. Tapping your feet or twisting hair can be something that relieves nerves. That is why you often can’t just stop them. Instead, you need to look to replace your bad habits with ones that are new but still have the same kind of benefit to you.
With the smoking example, if you feel better from it when you are stressed, you could also feel better when you are stressed when you exercise or take a boxing class. You get the same stress relief benefit, but by doing something that will be much better for you. If you stop making a bad habit, it can often not work for you, and you can slip back into bad habits again because you miss that ‘benefit’ it gives you. So when it comes to stopping bad habits, make sure that you replace them with something else instead.
How to break a bad habit
If you are looking for ways to quit your bad habit, you need to think about how to do it differently. If you’ve never had much luck with breaking bad habits, try these things instead.
- Choose a substitute for the bad habit: This has been addressed a little already, but it just shows how much of a difference it can make to a bad habit when you find something else to replace it with. When you get the urge to do your bad habit, what can you do instead? Whatever your habit is and however you are choosing to deal with it, make sure that you have a plan for what you are going to do with it instead.
- Cut out triggers: if you are someone who smokes, then it is quite easy to know that you should just avoid situations like going to a bar, where you’re much more likely to smoke. That can be an obvious trigger. If you eat too much junk food when you’re bored, not having junk food in the house will help. Think about the triggers that lead to your bad habits, and then you can find a way to cut those triggers out. The environment that you are in can play a big part in your habits. If you change the environment, then you will change what happens with your habits.
- Visualize yourself as a success in kicking your habit: You could imagine yourself throwing out a pack of cigarettes or eating and buying foods that you know are much better for you. Imagine yourself getting up early and having a productive day, and it will be the motivator to help you get there.
If you want to break your habits, you do have to rethink them and examine their causes and triggers. With a little work and effort, you can make a big difference.