Getting rid of a bad habit is not easy: it becomes automatic when we do the same thing for a long time.
Nevertheless, there are ways to eliminate unhealthy behavior and start a healthier lifestyle.
Brain research shows that people often unconsciously follow bad habits.
Therefore, a person may not notice how they reach for unhealthy foods, smokes another cigarette, spends too much time on f-ast.in or social media.
However, the brain’s power can be used to your advantage to get rid of old bad habits and develop new ones.
The origins of the problems
Alcohol and smoking relax us and help us to forget the mountains of garbage around us.
But on the other hand, inconsistency comes from laziness and unwillingness to do anything, and even career problems can be called a consequence of negative thinking.
In other words, the effect of bad habits on our lives is enormous. Not only do they make us different, but they can also seriously affect our future generation.
Eradicating bad habits should begin with awareness. The problem with most people is that they don’t see the harm in their actions.
They chew their nails, pick their noses, tap their feet rhythmically, crunch their fingers, etc. But fortunately, there are several effective methods of solving the issue of how to beat bad habits.
Technology of struggle
So, the decision is made to start the fight against a bad habit. We have gathered ten essential points to help you cope with the addiction.
- Eradicate bad habits one at a time. If you decide to weed out of your life all at once and cigarettes, sweets, and surf social networks, you can naturally be furious, start to get angry at loved ones, and eventually spit on everything and decide that with bad habits to live even better. Choose one thing, to begin with.
- Replace the bad habit with a healthy activity. Let’s say you go for a smoke break to gather your thoughts and get some rest. In this case, you can learn the technique of meditation, which will help you to focus and relax for the same five minutes.
- Reward yourself for the results you achieve. Were you able to make it through two weeks? Treat yourself to a meal or movie. Lasted a month? Buy yourself something you’ve wanted for a long time.
- Don’t have high expectations. Yes, the struggle with a bad habit will be challenging. But you can’t get into a negative mood either. Make a unique calendar where you will mark every day without a bad habit, and you will visually see your progress. Giving up is not an option because then you will have to start everything from the beginning.
- Divide the process of your fight against your bad habit into several stages. Reduce the amount of practice in your life gradually. If you spend half a day aimlessly on social networks, reduce the time to two hours, then – to an hour, and here you already go, not to leaf through the feed, but only when necessary.
- Enlist the support of others. Let your loved ones know you want to give up your bad habit and ask them to support you morally. When you’re not alone, it’s easier to fight.
- Stay away from temptations. Firmly decided to give up sweets? Then get rid of it, and don’t keep anything sweet at home.
- Think about how your life will change for the better! How much money you’ll save by stopping spending it on alcohol, how you’ll lose weight by giving up sweets, or how you’ll stop getting sick so often if you quit smoking.
- Analyze your condition. Make a diary in which you keep track of your mood. When you feel you are about to lose it, open the journal and write about your state, why you are struggling with a bad habit, and what good you will get from it.
If the struggle wasn’t successful on the first try – don’t think that it doesn’t make sense for you to get rid of the bad habit.
Instead, try again and again to develop your willpower and analyze why you need to say goodbye to your addiction. And now, let’s break down the most critical steps to eliminate a bad habit.
Become aware of the habit and take control of it
The first step in getting rid of a bad habit is to become aware of the problem. It involves analyzing and visualizing data about the practice.
It will help raise awareness and take control of the pattern.
For example, if you want to quit smoking, create a unique table and mark every cigarette, you smoke daily.
So the extent of the bad habit will become more visible. It will help to gradually reduce the number of cigarettes smoked and eventually eliminate the practice.
Replace a bad habit with a healthy one
Removing an unwanted habit will be easier if you replace it with a healthy alternative.
One of the world’s leading experts on habit formation, James Clear, in his book Atomic Habits, argues that habits define personality.
For example, after quitting smoking, you can start taking evening jogs. Running will signal your brain that you are leading a healthy lifestyle and should not smoke.
Add new activities to your routine
Forming a new habit is difficult. However, you can add further action to your routine to make the process easier.
For example, you can try meditation to stop looking at negative news and social media in the morning.
You can supplement your morning cup of coffee with this new habit by settling down in silence with a hot beverage and meditating for a few minutes.
Change the environment around you
The environment around you also largely determines habits. Therefore, to change behaviors, you need to eliminate the temptations around you.
To stop eating junk food, remove candy, chips, and cookies from the kitchen table and put a fruit vase instead.
It’s also helpful to hang notes with inspirational phrases or a list of your desired goals in a prominent place – your desk, computer, or mirror.
This way, the environment will energize you with positive energy and inspire you to achieve your goals.
Get support and work on accountability
The support of those around you is a significant factor in starting a healthier life. Share your new goal with the people closest to you.
They may support you more than just in a moral way: by going for a morning run with you.
It will be an additional stimulus for forming a healthy habit: you will become responsible for yourself and your partner.